Reservation-free policy creates visitor boom

GUANGZHOU — It is now possible for art enthusiast Lin Yali to visit museums and exhibitions at will, as new walk-in policies exempt her from having to reserve in advance.

The Guangzhou Museum of Art has allowed visitors to enter without a reservation, as long as they pass the security checks, since last month. The museum has also extended its hours of opening until the end of this month, to offer a cool, art-filled summer experience.

Lin, who comes from Hunan province, decided to travel to Guangdong province to visit the 14th National Exhibition of Fine Arts after hearing about the new policy.

"I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a spot in advance because of the large summer crowds. Now everything has become easier and I can take my time enjoying these amazing paintings," Lin says.

Shenzhen in Guangdong similarly announced late last month the elimination of its reservation policies for 133 sites in the city, including 17 tourist attractions, 61 museums, 33 art galleries, 12 libraries and 10 cultural centers.

Museums and historical sites have recently become popular choices for tourism in China. Data from the National Cultural Heritage Administration showed that museums hosted over 40,000 exhibitions and more than 380,000 educational activities last year, attracting a record-breaking 1.29 billion visitors.

To better serve them, the administration recently recommended that museums extend opening hours and eliminate reservation policies.

In response, numerous museums, including the Capital Museum, the Sanxingdui Museum, the Shanghai Museum and the Guangzhou Museum of Art, have extended their hours and introduced visitor-friendly programs, including nighttime visits and immersive experiences, to enhance the accessibility and appeal of Chinese cultural heritage.

Li Cheng, a senior middle school graduate has an infatuation for China's history and traditional culture and has made local museums his top destinations, as the new policy enables him to visit more historical sites.

This summer, he visited Chengdu in Sichuan province with his mother after the college entrance exam. Their first stop was the Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum. The Sanxingdui Museum and Chengdu Museum were also added to his itinerary.

Data shows a significant increase in tourists following the elimination of the reservation policies in multiple tourist cities.

According to the big-data research institute of online travel service provider Qunar, the search volume for tickets to Beijing scenic spots has nearly tripled since the capital eliminated its reservation policies for all of its tourist attractions apart from the Palace Museum and the National Museum of China.

Several attractions and museums in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, have also experienced a peak in visitor flow after the elimination of reservation policies.

China currently has 59 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and by the end of last year, it was home to 6,833 museums, which attracted over 1.2 billion visitors last year.

The lifting of the reservation policies gives international visitors interested in Chinese culture new choices besides scenery and food tours, particularly in light of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy available to nationals of certain countries, which facilitates entry to China.

According to the online travel service provider Ctrip, domestic inbound travel orders in the first half of the year increased by more than 1.6 times year-on-year.

According to a survey conducted by the China Tourism Academy about inbound tourist satisfaction, over 60 percent of respondents cited the desire to experience culture as the main reason for their visit to China.

Dai Bin, director of the China Tourism Academy, says that the integration of culture and tourism has become a trend in China as living standards improve and people travel more frequently. Cultural and historical landmarks, such as museums and historical cities, have become must-visit destinations for many tourists.

Xinhua