China tourism receives wide attention at int'l travel show in UAE

The China Pavilion has attracted scores of visitors at the 2025 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in the United Arab Emirates, which concluded in Dubai on Thursday.

The ATM is the largest professional tourism exhibition in the Middle East and North Africa. The 32nd edition of the event attracted a record 2,800 exhibitors from 166 countries.

Theming on "Nihao (means hello in Chinese) China," China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism led the country's participation at the four-day event.

China's tax refund and visa-free policies for international travelers are a major boost for the country's leisure and business tourism industries, according to exhibitors.

"We can see a lot of, I mean, increase for inbound travel to China. Foreign visitors come to China, including like Beijing, Shanghai, especially Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, the big cities, the main destinations for international travelers and they use, I mean, different kind of visas. We have visa free for many, many countries from 15 to up to 30 days. It's very convenient for people, for businessmen, especially in this market," said Qin Qin, deputy general manager at Shenzhen Century Holiday Travel Group.

Under the new refund-upon-purchase policy, foreign visitors can instantly claim value-added tax (VAT) rebates at tax-free stores, enabling them to reuse the refunded amount in real time for further shopping. Previously, VAT rebates were only available for withdrawal upon departure.

"So, it's very popular now, because in China, there are more and more tourists come in from foreign countries. They just use the Visa and Mastercard in China, they can buy through the Alipay and WeChat pay, so they can pay directly. So after they buy any goods they want, they can also get refund," said Chen Chao, managing director of Chongqing DMC.

With travel hashtags on apps such as RedNote soaring and millions already taking advantage of the relaxed rules, the charm of China travel resonated widely at the event.

"I just heard about its nature and I'm fascinated by it, you know, its wonders and weather. I heard about Hubei and how it is amazing, so I would love to give it a try," said local visitor Ali Rashid.

"China is also the great place and I want to travel to the Great Wall of China," said Nazrin Ahmadova, a visitor from Azerbaijan.

China tourism receives wide attention at int'l travel show in UAE

Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks, with recent tests showing common pathogens and no evidence of new infectious diseases, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday.

At its first press briefing of 2026, the commission reported that flu activity nationwide remains moderate at the moment.

According to Xin Li, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory samples collected from sentinel hospitals indicated that the influenza virus was the most common pathogen, accounting for 27.4 percent of cases, followed by respiratory syncytial virus at 8.8 percent and rhinovirus at 5.7 percent.

"Influenza activity in China has declined for four consecutive weeks and remains at a moderate level overall. Analysis of nationwide fever clinic consultations, influenza-like illness cases at sentinel hospitals, and multi-pathogen testing shows that all detected pathogens are known common ones, with no evidence of unknown pathogens or new infectious diseases," Xin told the press.

Data from sentinel hospitals indicated flu activity was falling across provincial-level regions, while reports of school outbreaks dropped for five consecutive weeks. Laboratory tests showed that 97.3 percent of positive influenza samples were H3N2 subtype viruses.

China flu activity declines for fourth week, no new pathogens detected: official