From sightseeing to shopping: China sees holiday inbound tourism boom

When Hu Jianfeng stepped onto the lively streets of Changsha, a city often hailed as a paradise for foodies, the smoky scent of sizzling tofu hit her before she even saw the stall.

The Singaporean traveler finally got her first bite of Changsha's famously pungent stinky tofu, wandered through buzzing shopping malls and historic alleyways, and marveled at how easily she could navigate this unfamiliar city in central China's Hunan Province with nothing more than a smartphone.

"Changsha left such a deep impression on me," Hu said. "I'd especially love to recommend its delicious street food and exquisite embroidery to my friends."

Feast for eyes, taste buds

Hu was among an increased number of overseas tourists who traveled to China during the recent May Day holiday, which ended on Monday.

Official data showed that the five-day holiday -- a peak time for family outings and tourism -- saw nearly 10.9 million inbound and outbound trips made by Chinese and foreign nationals, up 28.7 percent from the same period last year. Of these trips, over 1.1 million were made by foreigners, up a sharp 43.1 percent.

A recent report from Chinese travel platform Trip.com Group found that inbound travel bookings during the May Day holiday surged 130 percent compared to last year.

While top-tier cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing remained popular, destinations such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Zhuhai and Xi'an also made the list of top inbound travel choices, according to the report.

Over the past three weeks, Sophie Girschewski, a German engineer living in Beijing, joined her visiting friends for part of their journey across China, from walking along the ancient stones of the Great Wall to exploring the windblown dunes near the Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province.

"We are interested in Chinese culture and also the diversity of the landscape," Girschewski said, adding that they were especially impressed by everyday foods like noodle soup or malatang, which is a spicy, hotpot-like dish of vegetables and meat cooked in a flavorful broth.

Beyond sightseeing, culinary and cultural experiences came out on top in the minds of many visitors during the May Day holiday, said experts with Trip.com Group.

In Hunan's Zhangjiajie, which is known for its spectacular mountain scenery that has inspired scenes in global blockbuster movies, the Manxin countryside resort has reported a surge in bookings from the United States, Italy and Spain.

"Guests really love the hands-on countryside activities," said the resort's marketing director, Sunny, listing off activities such as muddy loach catching, fish scooping in rice paddies, and Tujia ethnic music events.

"China is a super diverse country with so many different things that you can do," Girschewski said. "Big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are modern, convenient, and international in many ways, while rural China is different. That contrast is what makes it one of the most interesting countries to explore."

A triumph for shopping bags

Interest in China as a travel destination is also visible in the shopping sector.

In Changsha, Thai tourist Thanaporn Toeysiriset made a beeline for Bailian Outlets before her flight home. There, she finally found a pair of shoes she had been searching for, and used China's departure tax refund service.

"The process was very smooth, and I received a refund of 82.39 yuan (about 11.44 U.S. dollars)," she said.

The outlet mall, covering 100,000 square meters, is one of the first designated departure tax refund malls in Hunan Province. Most of its overseas visitors come from Southeast Asian countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea, according to Gan Liu, the mall's general manager.

"They are especially fond of Chinese domestic designer brands, outdoor and sports clothing, and luxury labels," Gan said. To meet rising demand, the mall is introducing new digital translation tools, tax refund calculators and sealed packaging services to streamline customs inspection processes.

Sun Mengyang, a tourism expert at Beijing Union University, said that China's inbound tourism is gaining strong momentum thanks to a host of measures aimed at facilitating visas, payments, and accommodation for overseas visitors.

In late April, China introduced a package of measures to optimize its departure tax refund policy and boost inbound spending. These measures include lowering the minimum purchase threshold for refunds, raising the cash refund ceiling, expanding the network of participating stores, and widening the range of products available.

These changes are already bearing fruit. Beijing welcomed 104,000 inbound international tourist visits during the holiday, up 42.4 percent year on year. Inbound tourist spending reached 1.13 billion yuan, a 48 percent increase over the same period last year.

In Shanghai, that figure hit 455 million yuan during the holiday period -- a 211.6 percent spike. So far, 1,013 enterprises have registered for departure tax refund services, covering more than 3,300 branded stores.

Visa-free travel policies have also had an impact. China now grants unilateral visa-free entry to people from 38 countries, and has extended its visa-free transit period to 240 hours for travelers from 54 countries. A total of 380,000 foreigners entered China under such arrangements during the May Day holiday, a year-on-year increase of 72.7 percent.

Analysts believe that inbound tourism could be an important driver of growth for the Chinese economy.

"China's inbound consumption holds great growth potential," said Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping, noting that in 2024, spending by overseas visitors accounted for about 0.5 percent of the country's GDP, compared to 1 to 3 percent in major economies.

For travelers like Hu Jianfeng, these figures come to life not in economic charts, but in memories of sticky rice cakes, embroidered keepsakes, and the joy of discovering a place she had long dreamed of visiting.

"It was worth the trip," she said. "I couldn't wait to tell my friends about it."