China has welcomed a wave of inbound tourists during the country's Spring Festival holiday as more visitors from around the world take advantage of expanded visa-free policies to soak up the festive atmosphere, with many also exploring off the beaten path in some of the country's less well-known destinations.
The Spring Festival is China's largest annual celebration and sees hundreds of millions of people across the country travel back to their hometowns or to other popular sites to celebrate the Chinese New Year, with this year's eight-day holiday concluding on Tuesday.
This year has also seen a noticeable increase in the number of foreign tourists arriving after China continued easing its visa policies to boost people-to-people exchanges, allowing more overseas travelers and businesspeople to visit the country visa-free. Its latest move in December saw an extension of its visa-free transit policy, which has permitted eligible foreign travelers from 54 countries to stay in the country for up to 240 hours without a visa.
During the first five days of the Spring Festival holiday, over 5,500 international flights arrived in China, some 1,400 more than the corresponding period last year, according to figures from a Chinese travel app. Meanwhile, China's leading online travel agency Ctrip also reported that the total number of inbound travel orders during the holiday is expected to grow by 203 percent year on year.
Data also shows that international visitors are becoming more bold in their travel choices and are moving away from megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as they are increasingly interested in exploring more niche destinations across the country.
Data from Tujia, a Chinese homestay booking platform, showed reservations made by foreign tourists has increased 2.3 times over last year's Spring Festival, with dozens of homestays located in rural townships receiving their first foreign visitors.
From experiencing ice and snow activities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to savoring tea in central China's Hubei Province, or watching a traditional puppet show in east China's Zhejiang, an array of diverse and colorful activities have also left a deep impression on foreign tourists.
"I heard a lot about great the Chinese tea road, and we decided to experience our new year here. I'd invite everyone to come and enjoy this place," said a tourist from Armenia.
During this Spring Festival holiday, many inbound tourists have opted to visit multiple cities as they look to maximize their trip and tick off as many places as possible.
According to a survey by China Unicom, a leading Chinese telecommunications operator, over 27.3 percent of foreign visitors to China have toured at least two or more cities, while the number of overseas tourists who visited three or more cities during their stay increased by 13.8 percent compared to the previous year.
Many international visitors have also been taking full advantage of China's highly inter-connected transport system, including its world-leading high-speed rail network, to see as much of the country as they can.
A group of foreign tourists said they visited several culturally-rich sites in east China's Jiangxi Province, including the provincial capital Nanchang and the city of Jingdezhen, which is known as the world's porcelain capital. During their trip to the scenic Wuyuan County in Shangrao City, the visitors were left spellbound by various cultural performances including the traditional bench dragon lantern parade -- a 300-meter-long folk celebration through the streets to mark the Chinese New Year. "They're very fun-loving and always eager to have a good time and share good experiences with people," said a tourist from the United States as he described the local people he encountered there.
A visitor from Australia also pointed to the ease of getting around after embarking on a multi-city adventure.
"You can travel more than five cities in 10 days, which really blew my mind," he said.
More foreign tourists head off beaten path to soak up Chinese New Year atmosphere
