Newswire Beijing, June 14th (Xinhua News Agency, by Zhang Sijie, Cao Bin, Zhao Yingbo): More and more young Chinese are opting for spontaneous overseas trips during short holidays. During the recent Dragon Boat Festival, 27-year-old office worker Fu Jing from Xi'an traveled to Seoul, South Korea with friends.

"Visa-free policies and direct flights have made traveling abroad much more convenient. This year, I've already visited Thailand and Singapore. I've also included Scandinavia and Africa on my bucket list, hoping to use my annual leave to explore farther destinations," she said.

On June 6th, tourists visited the Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya, Chonburi Province, Thailand. (Photo by Lahang / Xinhua)

According to the latest statistical report released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, in 2023, Chinese tourists spent $196.5 billion overseas, surpassing the United States and Germany once again to become the largest outbound tourism consumer.

The organization's "World Tourism Barometer" for 2023 states that international tourist arrivals have rebounded to 89% of the 2019 levels, predicting a full recovery of the global tourism industry in 2024, driven by strong market demand, increased airline capacity, and continued recovery in China and other major Asian markets.

In terms of inbound tourism, the Chinese government has launched a series of measures to address the main obstacles faced by foreign tourists coming to China, including visa processing, mobile payments, and scenic spot reservations.

In March this year, China issued the "Opinions on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Enhance Payment Convenience," aiming to better meet the diversified payment service needs of groups such as the elderly and foreign visitors to China.

Visiting the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor to see the Terracotta Warriors is a must-see route for many foreign tourists visiting China. Zhou Ping, deputy director of the museum, introduced that on April 3rd, the museum launched an overseas integrated service platform to assist overseas tourists in online ticket booking, covering 24 languages and 29 currencies in 39 countries and regions. The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor received 122,000 visitors during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with the number of foreign tourists increasing by 150% year-on-year.

On May 17th, tourists visited the kneeling shooting terracotta warriors at the second pit of the Qin terracotta warriors site. (Xinhua News Agency reporter Shao Rui photo)

Many cities have also innovated measures to improve the convenience of mobile payments. For example, Shanghai has launched the multi-purpose prepaid card "Shanghai Pass", which can be used in selected cultural and tourist venues, supermarkets, and convenience stores in Shanghai, and can also be used for public transportation in more than 330 cities nationwide, including Shanghai.

According to data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Beijing received 469,000 inbound tourists in the first quarter, an increase of 3.1 times year-on-year. In particular, the visa-free policy implemented by China for Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg from March 14th has had a significant impact.

Data from the National Immigration Administration of China shows that in the first quarter of this year, the number of foreigners coming to China increased by more than 3 times compared to the same period in 2023, with a total of 466,000 foreign visa documents issued, an increase of 118.8% year-on-year, and 1.988 million inbound foreigners, an increase of 266.1% year-on-year.

The improvement of hard connectivity conditions and the continuous narrowing of soft communication distances are continuing. Participating in activities such as making rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, walking on the ancient Xi'an city wall to measure its width with footsteps, and learning from old artists Qin opera, shadow puppets, and other intangible cultural heritage arts... In the eyes of Feng Gaoxuan, assistant general manager of Xi'an Overseas Tourism Co., Ltd., traditional festivals and historical customs are becoming windows for foreign tourists to deeply understand Chinese culture, allowing Chinese and foreign friends to experience and share cultural empathy.

This is a photo taken by a drone of the scenery of the Tang Dynasty in Xi'an on February 2, 2024. (Xinhua News Agency reporter Shao Rui photo)

Walking through the Tang Dynasty Never Night City in Xi'an, the bustling street scenes and profound cultural heritage made Greg from Australia exclaim, "The tourist experience far exceeds expectations. After learning about the history here, we feel that traveling west along the Silk Road is also a good choice."

The continuous release of policy dividends has made more foreign tourists feel at home in China. "China's community culture is happy, happy, and beautiful", "street small shops are friendly and delicious"... Some foreign bloggers hold cameras and record moments of traveling in China, bringing real experiences about China to overseas audiences.

Li Xuecheng, a professor in the Department of Tourism Management at Northwest University, said that international tourism serves as an important channel for achieving people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning. The demand for inbound and outbound travel is still being released, and facilitation policies will further stimulate the recovery of international tourism.

"Tourism cooperation and cultural exchanges are inseparable, and all measures conducive to tourism are worth encouraging. Only by truly experiencing each other's lives can there be opportunities to deepen understanding and mutual trust." At the 14th China-US Tourism High-Level Dialogue held last month, Robert Niedernhofer, President and CEO of the Global Entertainment Company, said.