Inbound tourism recovers fast from pandemic

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In 2021, a China inbound tourist intention and attitude research report jointly conducted by Google and Ipsos, a leading market research company, said the nation remains attractive to global visitors as confidence in international travel is restored after the pandemic.

The report surveyed people from 19 countries who intend to visit China. The nation's cultures, landscapes and diverse experiences were identified as the top three attractions for global tourists.

This potential is likely to be tapped further, as more favorable policies were announced at the three-day China International Travel Mart 2023, staged this month in Kunming.

During the event, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official said more services are being offered to inbound travelers, such as simplified visa application procedures and the temporary exemption of fingerprint-taking for those who meet certain conditions. The official was speaking at an inbound tourism policy conference hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In total, nearly 100 Chinese embassies and consulates currently offer appointment-free visa application services, and by the end of this year, all such appointments will no longer be necessary.

The ministry said 260 Chinese embassies and consulates around the world will continue to improve the quality of visa services, making it easier for applicants to submit their paperwork.

In addition, the nation's 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policies have been extended to visitors from 54 countries, the National Immigration Administration said.

Speaking at the China International Travel Mart, Mao Xu, director of the administration's foreigners management department, said visitors from countries with transit visa exemptions are allowed to travel or conduct business-related activities in certain areas permitted by port visa authorities.

Large cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, apply the 144-hour visa-free policy, while Changsha, capital of Hunan province, Harbin, the Heilongjiang provincial capital, and Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, implement the 72-hour policy.

In Chengdu, the authorities are preparing for the arrival of more tourists.

Guo Degang, a senior official at the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcast-TV and Tourism, said, "The inbound tourism market has grown slowly but surely over the past 10 months."

In the same period in 2019, before the pandemic emerged, the city received 469,000 inbound tourist visits.

Guo said the local inbound tourism market has great potential for further growth, adding, "Chengdu has a unique appeal as a destination for inbound travelers, especially those from Southeast Asia, with its leisurely lifestyle and distinctive cuisines, as well as the chance to see giant pandas."

The city is a center for visitors planning trips to leading tourist attractions across Sichuan, such as Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, Huanglong — the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, and ethnic Tibetan, Qiang and Yi residential areas.

Guo believes that Chengdu will benefit greatly from the favorable inbound tourism policies.

"At the start of this year, we began to offer training in inbound tourism services to more people to cater to the increasingly high demand," Guo said.

"Visitors not only want explanations about tourist attractions, they are also keenly interested in everything during a tour, such as folk customs, food culture, and even social and economic development."