Annual Memory | “ChinaTravel” Fans All Over the World

On the afternoon of November 3, 2024, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, several middle school students from Germany visited the streets dressed in traditional Hanfu costumes, following local customs.

On November 24, 2024, in Beijing, many foreign tourists visited Tiananmen Square. With the expansion of China’s visa-free scope for inbound travelers, a large number of foreign tourists have flooded into China, making Tiananmen Square a popular tourist destination.

On December 17, 2024, the National Immigration Administration announced that it would extend the duration of transit visa-free stays for foreigners in China from the previous 72 hours and 144 hours to 240 hours (10 days). It also added 21 ports of entry, bringing the total number of ports for transit visa-free entry and exit to 60. Foreigners with transit visas can now travel across provincial borders within the allowed stay areas in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities).

This year, China’s visa-free “朋友圈” has continued to expand, and “ChinaTravel” has become a global phenomenon on social media. From “City Walk” to “ChinaTravel”, more and more people are interested in exploring the possibilities of China’s cities. From Harbin, which offers emotional value, to the spicy Tianshui, from the bustling old Shanghai to my Altay, the phenomenon of cultural tourism “heat wave” across the country has continuously increased the value of “ChinaTravel”. In these “annual memory” pictures, we can feel the vibrant China with changing landscapes!

On July 18, 2024, foreign tourists were enjoying beer at the Qingdao Gold Beach Beer City.

On November 19, 2024, tourists of different ages and nationalities visited the豫园商城 in Shanghai. Foreigners were enjoying street shopping, dining, taking photos, and experiencing traditional Chinese culture.

On November 6, 2024, a foreign father and son were drinking tea and chatting in the old teahouse of Pengzhen Ancient Street in Shuangliu District, Chengdu.

On May 3, 2005, foreigners were purchasing ancient household items at the Panjiayuan antique market in Chaoyang District of Beijing.

On July 5, 2024, a foreign friend from the United States used Alipay for payment in Liaoning沈阳.

With the continuous popularity of “China Travel” inbound tourism this year, on the basis of “Meeting China” for 144 hours, over 80% of foreign tourists leave only when their visa is about to expire, and many wish to have more time to visit more places.

On July 31, 2024, high school students from Maryland, USA visited Huangshan and Hongcun, experiencing the beauty of World Heritage sites. Anhui Province has fruitful cooperation with Maryland in various fields such as economy, trade, technology, agriculture, education, and humanities. In the picture, American youths are touring Huangshan Scenic Area.

On November 26, 2024, at the second “Liangzhu Forum” in Hangzhou, foreign writers who participated in the event took a field trip to Liangzhu Museum and Liangzhu Ancient City遗址公园 to experience Liangzhu’s five-thousand-year-old civilization.

On December 15, 2024, as Macao celebrated its 25th anniversary of returning to China, the streets were decorated with new flags, and tourists from all over came to take photos.

The transit visa-free policy now applies to 24 provinces, including newly added ( Shanxi, Jiangxi, Anhui, Guizhou, Hainan) or expanded in nine provinces. The number of applicable ports has increased from 39 to 60, with an increase of 54%. The policy now covers key development areas such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing region, as well as areas rich in tourism resources, deep cultural heritage, and unique ethnic customs.

On December 11, 2024, villagers from Caojiagang Village in Jiaozhou City guided foreign exchange students to practice Yangko dance.

On August 20, 2024, in Yongnian District of Handan City in Hebei Province, Tai Chi enthusiasts from Poland were practicing Wushiwomen Tai Chi.

On September 26th of this year, overseas students learned Tai Chi at Huangdaixi Scenic Area in Jinhua City of Zhejiang Province and at Yiyuan Hall of Shenqi Pharmaceutical Cultural Experience Center in Nanyang City of Henan Province where foreign friends experienced traditional Chinese medicine manufacturing processes.

On September 13th this year in Dali State of Yunnan Province Chinese tourists invited foreign tourists to experience autumn tea picking activities.

Compared with the previous policy of visa-free transit for 72/144 hours which allowed only within-city travel for foreigners during their stay in China this new policy adjustment allows cross-regional travel which is convenient for foreign tourists to plan their trips across multiple provinces for tourism business activities while also promoting tourism resources sharing across regions driving up local tourism openness and economic development through its scale effect on China’s inbound tourism industry which has seen significant growth over the past year with increasing numbers of foreign tourists visiting various tourist attractions across China as well as participating in cultural activities designed to promote exchanges between Chinese and foreigners and further understanding of traditional Chinese culture by young foreigners from different countries around the world who have come to experience various aspects of Chinese culture including wearing Hanfu costumes viewing ancient music performances reading poetry reciting lyrics etc at various events held throughout China during the Mid-Autumn Festival period which also saw an increase in tourist attractions visited by both domestic and foreign tourists alike as well as various other cultural activities aimed at promoting tourism industry growth throughout China in recent years In recent years statistics show that since January through November this year nationwide inbound foreign visitors have reached over 29 million with an increase of over eighty six percent over last year while visa-free inbound tourists have increased by over one hundred twenty three percent with an increase in foreigners coming under China’s visa-free transit policy by over one hundred thirty two percent representing a significant increase in China’s inbound tourism industry growth over this period With the latest implementation of transit visa policy more foreign friends are welcome to come and experience China’s cities and all its beauty On October 31st this year immigration police at Erlian international border check station provided assistance for a study tour group while on December 17th police at Hubei immigration management explained new policies to American tourists under China’s transit visa policy On August 14th foreigners could be seen processing immigration procedures at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport with increasing numbers taking advantage of China’s visa-free policy resulting in significant growth in inbound foreign tourist numbers As of December 17th Russian tourists Igor and Marina learned about new transit visa policies and began planning their new itinerary With pictures and visuals provided by Xinhua News Agency and Vision China this article showcases China’s thriving inbound tourism industry through various aspects such as cultural exchanges tourism growth policy changes etc.