With visa-free policies and optimized measures, international travelers are flocking in greater numbers to China, Yang Feiyue reports.

Anna Bondarenko, from Russia, had a blast in Tianjin in mid-September. The woman in her 20s explored what the northern city has to offer — taking a ride on the giant Ferris wheel Tianjin Eye, which is 110 meters in diameter and equipped with 50 carriages, while experiencing traditional Chinese opera and enjoying local gourmet cuisine.

"It's breathtaking to see the city's landscape from the Ferris wheel. It's also fun interacting with the opera artists and trying the makeup," she says.

Having studied business administration in Shanghai for almost two years, Bondarenko has traveled to several places around China.

"I love traveling in China to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai and smaller destinations like Zhuzhou and Changsha (in Hunan province).I think every city has its distinctive vibes," she says.

As she shares her travels around China on popular social media platforms like Instagram and Xiaohongshu, she finds that many of her 30,000 followers are amazed by the diversity of the country's tourism resources.

"They leave comments like how Suzhou, Jiangsu province, looks like Venice while having unique characteristics," says Bondarenko.

Her family has also been fascinated by China's history and culture, coming to visit her multiple times.

"My brother has started to learn Mandarin after he visited me in Shanghai several months ago," she says.

Bondarenko is among more than 100 travel influencers from across the world who were invited to attend the Global Traveler (Tianjin) Conference in the municipality in mid-September.

The event was hosted by major domestic travel agency Trip.com Group and global travel review platform TripAdvisor, which sought to boost the country's culture and tourism industries.

The goal was to have the attendees record and share what they saw in the country and continue to fuel the "China Travel" craze, which has become a buzzword on overseas social media where an increasing number of international travelers have posted photos and videos that offer fresh perspectives of the country.

In the first half of the year, more than 14.6 million international travelers entered China through various ports, a year-on-year increase of 152.7 percent, the National Immigration Administration reports.

Among them, more than 8.5 million people entered visa-free, accounting for more than 50 percent, a year-on-year increase of 190.1 percent.

The administration predicts that foreigners' enthusiasm for coming to China will continue to rise in the second half of the year.

Miao Muyang, director of the industrial development department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, notes that the comment sections of videos posted by a large number of travel influencers about their experiences in China have been filled with viewers' excitement and interest, which have been magnified by the popularity of the recent video game Black Myth: Wukong featuring Chinese culture and scenic spots.

Since 2024, the country has implemented a visa-free entry policy with 15 countries for 15 days, expanded the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to 37 ports and 54 countries, continuously optimized payment services, and increased the number of international flights, Miao says.

"These measures facilitate the entry of foreign visitors and allow them to experience the unique world heritage in Beijing's hutong (alleyways), appreciate the blend of Eastern and Western cultures on Tianjin's Wudadao (Five Great Avenues), enjoy the sparkling night views at Shanghai's Bund, and explore the rich historical culture through Shanxi's ancient architecture," Miao says.

He says the Chinese government will continue to tap into China's cultural and tourism resources and upgrade tourism products and services.

"Our goal is to create travel routes and destinations that showcase the charm of Chinese culture and are highly attractive to international tourists, increasing the supply of diverse, high-quality inbound tourism products," he adds.

More efforts will go to enhancing the comfort and satisfaction of foreign tourists in every aspect of their experiences, from dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, and shopping to entertainment, he says.

Tianjin authorities have rolled out urban routes highlighting the local lifestyle and historical architecture, as well as special scenes on street corners and near bridges.

"So far this year, we have held dozens of bridge-side concerts," says Zhu Yihai, an official with the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, adding that each of the more than 20 bridges over Haihe River in Tianjin is unique.

"This is something that sets us apart from other cities. Moreover, around every bridge, locals spontaneously organize various cultural activities throughout the year," he adds.

Local authorities have involved professionals and performers to take part in the bridge-side concerts, whose number is expected to reach 100 by the end of this year, according to Zhu.

Zhu notes that many inbound cruise travelers have chosen Tianjin as the first leg of their journey in China through the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port. The city has launched many measures to facilitate their trips, such as convenient payment methods and multilingual guides.

Sun Bowen, general manager of Trip.com Group's inbound tourism, says the inbound tourism market is on a positive growth trend.

For Tianjin, the total number of inbound tourism orders in the first half of this year increased by 50.7 percent compared to the same period last year, Sun says.

The number of inbound visits through the agency during the period also grew by approximately 58.2 percent, with the total value of goods sold increasing by 32.5 percent.

Additionally, transportation orders from international travelers to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area for the first six months surged by 69.2 percent year-on-year.

Sun considers these figures very encouraging.

"We've noticed an increase in independent travelers (across the country), who make up a larger portion of our platform's customers, which aligns with the country's visa-free policies, including the 144-hour visa-free transit policy," Sun notes.

The agency has developed pertinent products to cater to transit travelers' needs, such as a bus tour that brings people from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to downtown.

"It has been a hit among transit travelers and is frequently booked up," Sun says.

The agency plans to develop similar products in various port cities.

"We will continue to adjust our products, marketing strategies and product development to cater more to this type of tourist," he adds.

At the global traveler conference, Trip.com Group and Tianjin launched a plan that aims to continue promoting inbound tourism, such as creating exciting routes for travelers on a 144-hour visa-free transit.

Liu Xiaozhou, CEO of TripAdvisor China, said at the conference that China is becoming a global tourism hot spot, not only reflecting the appeal of its rich cultural heritage and natural landscapes to international tourists but also highlighting the country's relentless efforts and achievements in improving tourism services and optimizing the tourist environment.

Since 2022, inbound tourism in China has shown a clear and accelerated recovery, reaching 56 percent of 2019 levels in 2023.

As of the first quarter, the number of non-mainland residents entering the Chinese mainland had recovered to 92 percent of the same period in 2019, which is 2.2 times the figure for the same period in 2023, while the number of visas issued to foreigners increased by 119 percent year-on-year, Liu notes.

"These substantial increases demonstrate the international market's positive response to favorable policies and show that China's inbound tourism market is progressing rapidly toward broader horizons," Liu says.

"More international tourists show a strong interest in China's natural scenery, historical sites, modern cities, and local cultures. The story of China is being shared with the world through the personal experiences of each visitor," he says.

During her Tianjin trip, Bondarenko interacted with many other foreign travelers from places such as New Zealand and Italy.

"Everyone is excited to travel here," she says, adding that they share fun anecdotes and tips during their travels.

She plans to pursue a master's degree in social media or marketing after finishing her studies this year, which she says will give her more time to explore the country.

Bondarenko says she'd like to have an in-depth tour of Beijing to experience the culture and to visit Chengdu, Sichuan province, to see pandas.

"It's safe to travel in China and easy and comfortable to go from place to place with the well-developed transport networks, such as the high-speed rails," she says.

10 most popular Chinese cities for international tourists:

Shanghai

Beijing

Chengdu, Sichuan province

Guangzhou, Guangdong province

Tianjin

Shenzhen, Guangdong

Xi'an, Shaanxi province

Sanya, Hainan province

Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

Suzhou, Jiangsu province