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Local foreign language tour guides witness increasing popularity of 'China Travel' among foreign tourists(People's Daily Online) 09:19, September 03, 2024
Local foreign language tour guides across China are experiencing firsthand a "China Travel" boom spurred by the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy, along with the continuous optimization of entry and exit policies.
Since its inception in January 2023, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been frequently expanded. So far, citizens from 54 countries are exempted from visa requirements during transit for 72 or 144 hours when heading for a third nation.
They are allowed to engage in short-term activities such as travel and business visits during the visa-free stay, which has led to a dramatic increase in the number of foreign tourists across the country.
Beijing's Forbidden City impresses
"I've seen a lot more foreign visitors in the Forbidden City this year," said a licensed Beijing tour guide named Zhang Jian.
A Beijing tour guide named Zhang Jian (first from right) and Dutch tourists pose for a group photo. (epaper.ynet.com/courtesy of the interviewee)
In recent months, Zhang, who has been obtaining orders for tour guide services via "We media" platforms, which are platforms where non-professional content creators can share content, has received more than twice the number of online orders from foreign tourists compared to the same period last year.
According to Zhang, since May this year, which coincided with the peak of the European holiday season and was followed by the summer vacation tourism boom, there has been a surge in the number of foreign tourists visiting China.
In the past few months, he has been receiving inquiries and orders from one or two foreign tourists every day, Zhang said.
Zhang has received tourists from many countries, with the highest number coming from the U.S., followed by the UK. Since May, the majority of his customers have been from the Netherlands, Zhang said.
A major part of Zhang's job is taking tourists to well-known tourist attractions within Beijing, and the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is the place he frequents the most.
As a must-visit for foreign tourists, the Forbidden City never fails to impress foreign visitors, according to Zhang.
Every foreign tourist visiting the Forbidden City for the first time is surprised by the royal wooden-style buildings with golden roofs and red walls, Zhang said. They say the buildings here are "much more different", he quoted.
During their journey, many foreign tourists have experienced the friendliness of the Chinese people, according to Zhang, who said Chinese people actively greet foreign tourists and talk with them in English, and when foreign tourists see Chinese people in traditional costumes taking photos in the Forbidden City, they approach them and take pictures together.
Experience convenient shared bikes, e-payment in Shanghai
Liu Lichao, a tour guide in east China's Shanghai Municipality, has also witnessed a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists.
Liu has been working as an English tour guide for six years since graduating from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics. Currently, Liu mainly receives tour guide bookings through online platforms.
According to Liu, he now leads seven to eight foreign tourist groups every week. On weekends, he often serves one group in the morning and another in the afternoon. The majority of his customers are Europeans, mainly from the Netherlands and Germany.
Foreign tourists ride bicycles in China. (epaper.ynet.com/courtesy of the interviewee)
Compared to the previous years when he obtained orders through a foreign travel company, not only has the number of foreign tour groups increased, but the size of the groups has also grown, Liu said.
A tourist group typically consists of at least 20 people, and sometimes even more, requiring two tour guides to lead them, he explained.
Shared bikes dotting every corner of Shanghai is one of the most surprising scenes for foreign tourists, according to Liu, who said cycling is one of the highlights of foreign tourists' tour of the city.
As foreign tourists ride shared bicycles around Shanghai and notice the constant presence of food delivery riders and couriers on the road, they are amazed by the convenience the Chinese people can enjoy, Liu said.
The convenience of electronic payments in China also surprises foreign tourists, according to Liu. Simple things that Chinese people take for granted like using electronic payment services for buying a beverage, an ice cream, or a scallion pancake are considered "incredible" to foreign tourists.
