New users can click on "International Business Daily" to follow. Cross-border travel is an important component of China's service trade. During the Spring Festival this year, inbound tourism grew relatively fast, and outbound tourism accelerated its recovery, marking a good start that will provide strong support for the growth of service trade throughout the year.

1. Rapid growth in inbound tourism.

The surge in traditional cultural activities such as dragon and lion dances, lantern festivals, along with the implementation of expanded visa-free policies, has promoted the growth of inbound tourism during this year's Spring Festival. During the Spring Festival period, the number of foreign nationals entering and exiting the country reached millions, an increase of % compared to the same period last year. According to a report from Ctrip, during this year's Spring Festival holiday, ticket orders for inbound tourism increased by % year-on-year, and hotel bookings for inbound tourism rose by over sixty percent.

The number of inbound tourists from neighboring countries and regions to our country is relatively high. Among them, South Korea is the largest source country for inbound tourism during this year's Spring Festival, with a popular short-trip trend among South Korean youth of "going to China after work on Friday." There has also been a significant increase in tourists from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Since the beginning of this year, the sales of Russian tourism products to China have tripled compared to the same period last year.

Tourists from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan regions of China, due to cultural affinity, have become a significant source of visitors for mainland tourism. For instance, in Shenyang's inbound orders, the proportion of tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan is notably high. Regarding the destinations of international tourists within China, data from the Cultural and Tourism Technology Innovation Center for Tourist Behavior Monitoring and Decision Services, built by China Unicom, shows that Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Quanzhou attract a large number of international tourists with their convenient transportation and international services, ranking top three in the inbound deep tourist volume rankings.

Major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, along with unique ice and snow tourism, hold significant appeal for international tourists. For instance, South Korean tourists primarily visit destinations like Harbin, Chengdu, and Shanghai. Japanese tourists show a strong interest in China's traditional culture and ice-snow tourism, with Shenyang and Shanghai being their main destinations. The number of American tourists has notably increased, favoring large cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, as well as ice-snow tourism in Harbin. Due to geographical advantages, Russian tourists more frequently choose the northeastern region and border cities.

Additionally, traditional Chinese culture, natural landscapes, and popular resort areas are attractive to international tourists. For example, resort areas such as Sanya's Yalong Bay, Zhuhai's Hengqin Chimelong, and Dali Ancient Town have become popular choices for international tourists, particularly attracting visitors from Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. Guilin's Yangshuo and Nanning in Guangxi, leveraging intangible cultural heritage activities and visa-free policies, attract tourists from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong, China, with a significant increase in inbound orders during the Spring Festival. Tourists from Australia and the UK tend to experience "intangible cultural heritage" activities and natural landscapes, such as the Yunnan Bird Watching Festival and Xinjiang Ice and Snow Tours.

2. Outbound tourism is accelerating its recovery.

According to data from the China Tourism Academy, during this year's Spring Festival, the total number of outbound trips made by Chinese citizens reached [number] million, a year-on-year increase of [percentage]%. Among these, [number] million trips were made abroad. Outbound tourism was primarily focused on neighboring countries and regions. Overall, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia were the most popular destinations for outbound travel; Tokyo and Hokkaido in Japan emerged as particularly favored destinations.

Hong Kong and Macau in China, as well as countries in Europe and America, are also significant destinations for outbound tourism. The major cities and natural landscapes of the United States and Australia attract independent travelers and those visiting relatives, while travel orders to the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and France have seen relatively more growth. Cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are the main forces driving outbound tourism. According to big data from Qunar, Shanghai leads the nation in outbound flight bookings, with a year-on-year increase of %, primarily directed towards Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Residents of first-tier cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen prefer traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. Data from Qunar.com shows that during this year's Spring Festival, the demand for outbound travel among residents of counties and small to medium-sized cities has grown significantly, with the number of orders accounting for more than % of the total, an increase of more than double compared to the same period last year.