China sees surge in inbound travel bookings during May Day holiday

A combination of unique tourism events and convenient shopping experiences has sparked a surge in international visitors to China during the May Day holiday, which runs from May 1 to 5 this year.

Wuhan, the capital city of central China's Hubei Province, witnesses a remarkable 70 percent year-on-year increase in inbound travel orders during the holiday.

The city on Thursday opened a new tourism event featuring 11 sightseeing ships and stunning light shows along the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, presenting a unique nighttime experience for tourists around the world.

In addition to scenic tours, shopping has also become a major highlight for international tourists.

At a bonded warehouse shop at Nanchang West Station, tourists can browse a wide selection of global products. Thanks to the efficient logistics network powered by the China-Europe freight train service, many international tourists can have their purchases shipped directly to their homes.

"The consumption experience in China is really really great. Not only its price and quality of goods are guaranteed, but also the price is very very reasonable, which makes my trip to China filled with lots of good memories," said Suwilanji, a tourist from Zambia.

China has also introduced a new policy recently that enables foreign visitors to claim departure tax refunds for purchases as low as 200 yuan (about 27.5 U.S. dollars) per day at the same store, significantly reducing the previous threshold of 500 yuan (68.8 U.S. dollars).

Driven by the departure tax refund policy, the number of inbound tourism orders for China's five-day May Day holiday period has surged to 173 percent year on year, according to Trip.com Group, a leading online travel agency in China.

Moreover, experts believe that China's inbound tourism market still holds vast growth potential compared with developed countries and world-renowned tourist destinations.

"Our inbound tourism market has significant growth potential. Revenue from inbound tourism accounts for about 2 percent of the GDP of Italy and France, and they are developed countries and world-famous tourist destinations. In Japan, the figure is around 1.3 percent. However, in China, inbound tourism revenue accounts for about 0.5 percent of GDP. According to international research institutions, including Morgan Stanley, China's inbound tourism market is expected to grow by 4 to 8 times over the next decade," said Wang Xiaoyu, a researcher at Tourism Research Center under Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

China sees surge in inbound travel bookings during May Day holiday

Xi'an, the capital city of what is now northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has played a pivotal role in facilitating China's exchanges with the rest of the world through the ancient Silk Road.

The city, which was called Chang'an in ancient China, served as the starting point of the Silk Road. Chang'an was the capital city of several ancient Chinese dynasties, including the Western Han and the Tang, from 202 BC to AD 907.

Stepping out of the Xi'an Railway Station, one will encounter the colossal ruins of the Danfeng Gate of the Daming Palace. This gate was the national gateway of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Over 1,300 years ago, envoys from all nations from every corner of the world would pass through this very gate to pay homage to what was then the world's most powerful empire.

In Istanbul, the Topkapi Palace Museum, built in 1478, was the heart of the Ottoman Empire.

As camel bells echoed across deserts from Chang'an and merchant ships sailed oceans from east China's Quanzhou City, treasures of civilization from ancient China ultimately settled within this museum.

Its collections include vast numbers of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and precious gold and silver artifacts, among them 12,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain.

At the Topkapi Palace Museum, these porcelain wares now stand on display for the world, telling a history of civilizational exchange spanning Eurasia.

Northwest China's Xi'an plays pivotal role in boosting ancient exchanges with outside world