Inbound tourism booms during holiday

During the Spring Festival holiday, crowds of foreign travelers were spotted visiting destinations across China. They explored not only major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai for the festive atmosphere and heritage sites, but also small cities like Leshan in Sichuan province for the awe-inspiring giant cliffside Buddha stone statue, and Lingshui Li autonomous county in Hainan province for pristine beaches and a respite from winter's chill.

Boosted by visa facilitation policies, diverse cultural and tourism activities, and improved services, foreign visitors' willingness to visit China has been greatly enhanced and peaked during the holiday.

"Yunnan is one of the most beautiful places in China. We enjoyed the province's beautiful landscape, such as the tropical forests, green mountains and clear lakes. We were also impressed by its friendly people," said Sascha Scholz, from Germany, who traveled to Yunnan with his wife and son during the Spring Festival holiday.

"We really like the spicy Yunnan cuisine, such as pork and beef dishes, and also the sweet, delicious flower cakes filled with fragrant rose paste," Scholz said.

The "Yunnan — A Many-Splendored Life" tourist campaign is drawing visitors like them with its stunning views, soothing hot springs, aromatic local coffees and diverse culture.

During the Spring Festival holiday, the average daily volume of air ticket orders from inbound tourists to China saw a year-on-year increase of 21.29 percent, according to online travel agency Trip.com Group. Inbound tourists showed great interest in in-depth cultural experiences, such as those available at museums and exhibition halls.

Official data showed that in 2025, Yunnan received about 7.86 million inbound arrivals from South Asian and Southeast Asian countries, accounting for 52.2 percent of its total inbound arrivals.

Zhu Jun, deputy head of the Yunnan Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, said: "Yunnan has gradually become the first stop in China for travelers from South Asia and Southeast Asia. Riding the wave of visa-free policies, Yunnan has effectively stimulated the potential and vitality of inbound consumption, recording a strong upward trend in inbound tourism and shopping."

Yang Yaqin, a deputy to the National People's Congress and deputy director of the Center for Advanced Study of Public Policy at Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, said, "The growing popularity of inbound tourism in Yunnan is mainly driven by four indispensable key factors."

Yang said that China's high-level opening-up policies — including the 240-hour visa-free transit policy — have laid a solid policy foundation for Yunnan to develop inbound tourism. She added that multiple government departments, such as entry and exit ports, and culture and tourism authorities, have worked together to ensure inbound tourists' personal and property safety, and improve their transportation and travel experiences.

She said that the hardworking and hospitable people of Yunnan are dedicated to providing quality services to visitors from both home and abroad in areas such as accommodations, catering and cultural experiences, forming the strongest guarantee for the sustained growth of Yunnan's inbound tourism.

As a deputy to the NPC, Yang said she pays great attention to, and looks forward to, the further optimization and expansion of the country's visa-free transit policy. "The permitted stay duration should be gradually extended to 30 days. The current 240-hour (10-day) stay is far from sufficient for in-depth experiences in Yunnan, let alone for exploring the vast and magnificent landscapes of our motherland," she said.

She suggested that the policy should be gradually relaxed to allow transit visa-exempt travelers to stay anywhere nationwide, regardless of their port of entry. "It is expected that government authorities will seize this opportunity to enhance their governance and service capabilities, so as to better meet the needs of both domestic and international travelers," Yang said.

Meanwhile, many other regions across China have also achieved remarkable success in inbound tourism. Gansu province stands out as a prime example, with its profound Silk Road culture and heritage sites, such as the magnificent Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.

In 2025, the province received a total of 393,900 inbound tourist arrivals, representing a year-on-year increase of 60.8 percent compared with 2024, official data showed.

Wang Zhigang, deputy head of the Gansu Provincial Culture and Tourism Department, said, "We will work with relevant departments to implement the inbound tourism promotion campaigns, and step up overseas promotion and industry cooperation of Gansu's cultural and tourism resources. We will also host the Silk Road International Tourism Conference this year." Wang said that in 2026, the department plans to organize delegations to major source markets — including Malaysia, Singapore and Germany — to join international tourism exhibitions to host promotional activities. They will also invite representatives from cultural and tourism industries to participate in events, such as the Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo.

Li Yingqing in Kunming and Ma Jingna in Lanzhou contributed to this story.

xulin@chinadaily.com.cn