“I came this year especially to immerse myself in the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year,” said an excited tourist from Mongolia as he crossed into China. From pasting chunlian—red Spring Festival couplets—on doorways to joining family reunion dinners and exploring temple fairs, he hopes to experience every aspect of the celebration. This year, the number of foreigners traveling to China to celebrate the Spring Festival has risen markedly. Air ticket bookings during the holiday period have increased more than fourfold compared with last year.
Yet the rise in numbers is only part of the story—the quality of inbound travel is evolving even more significantly. “China Travel” has entered a new 2.0 era, transforming from one-time “check-in tourism” to immersive journeys rich in cultural depth and personal experience. This upgrade is powered by a series of coordinated policy measures that have steadily reduced barriers for foreign tourists—especially in travel and shopping—and strengthened China’s standing as a world-class tourism destination.
Shanghai’s Nanjing West Road, stretching more than two kilometers, is rapidly being developed into an “International Fashion Consumption Zone.” A growing number of time-honored Chinese brands and emerging domestic labels are joining the tax-refund network, enhancing their global appeal. Today, thanks to various payment-facilitation policies, more than 95 percent of foreign bank cards are accepted across major venues. Instant tax-refund services, such as Qinlei Refund, have made the shopping experience noticeably smoother.
In 2025, the number of foreign tourists claiming tax refunds tripled year-on-year, while sales of eligible products nearly doubled.
Efforts to cultivate an international-standard shopping environment, build inbound-friendly commercial districts, and expand foreign-payment services were all reiterated in the State Council’s January release of the “Action Plan for Accelerating New Consumption Growth in the Services Sector.” The growing appeal of duty-free and tax-refund policies is increasingly converting inbound “traffic” into tangible commercial growth.
A Broader Landscape of Tourism Consumption:The Action Plan also highlights the expansion of spending opportunities for foreign visitors—ranging from major international sporting events and performances to medical services, education, wellness tourism, and long-stay health programs.
In Sanya, Hainan, visitors discover far more than blue seas and open skies. Irina, a retired teacher from Russia, is spending three weeks receiving traditional Chinese medical treatments at a wellness center in Yalong Bay. She notes that acupuncture here is far more affordable than back home, while practitioners are highly skilled. Comprehensive services—from health checkups and therapeutic programs to tailored herbal diets—allow visitors to benefit from a full wellness experience.
Bridging Language and Culture:
Tourism sites across China have added multilingual signage, and the Zhangjiajie Scenic Area alone has recruited over a thousand foreign-language-proficient guides. Advanced smart-translation tools have also made communication smoother. Once language barriers begin to dissolve, deeper cultural understanding becomes truly possible.
It is easy to imagine how “celebrating an authentic Chinese New Year in China” becomes an unforgettable memory for foreign travelers. These lived experiences are spreading rapidly across social-media platforms, where earlier conversations about “China Travel” now harmonize with the growing trend of “Becoming Chinese.”
Together, these initiatives are steadily amplifying the global influence of Chinese culture and tourism. As inbound tourism enters a phase of rapid growth, China is experiencing a remarkable dual-track advancement: by offering greater convenience and thoughtful services to international visitors, the country presents to the world a multidimensional, authentic China—one that seamlessly blends the ancient and the modern.
Source: Shishir-Touhid-Anondi, China Media Group.