AsianFin--The year of 2024 has become a remarkable year for inbound tourism, since China expanded its 144-hour visa-free transit policy to more countries.
In some major transit stops and also tourist destinations, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, visitors from different countries and regions carrying travel bags and cameras flood landmarks and popular restaurants in these cities. They have become witnesses of China's prosperous tourism market, and have provided some individual vivid windows for the world to take a closer look at this big and diverse country.
The number of inbound tourists to China in the first four months of 2024 (including air and rail travel) has increased by 244% compared to the same period in 2023, according to domestic travel platform Ctrip.
The top 10 most popular Chinese travel destinations for inbound tourists include Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Inbound tourists mainly come from South Korea, the United States, and Singapore, among others.
According to data released by the National Immigration Administration, over 141 million outbound trips were made in the first quarter of 2024, an increase of 117.8% year on year.
Since 2022, China has taken many measures to further promote China's opening-up level, such as visa facilitation, post-pandemic international flights resumption, and more convenient payment for inbound and outbound tourists.
Tourists from Hong Kong and Macao can conveniently go to provinces around the Greater Bay Area such as Guangdong and Hunan for leisure vacations.
Data shows that in the first quarter, the number of inbound and outbound trips made through Shenzhen Port reached 52.285 million, a year-on-year increase of 151% compared to the same period in 2023.
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