Destinations of attraction

Tianjin authorities have rolled out urban routes highlighting the local lifestyle and historical architecture, as well as special scenes on street corners and near bridges.

"So far this year, we have held dozens of bridge-side concerts," says Zhu Yihai, an official with the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, adding that each of the more than 20 bridges over Haihe River in Tianjin is unique.

"This is something that sets us apart from other cities. Moreover, around every bridge, locals spontaneously organize various cultural activities throughout the year," he adds.

Local authorities have involved professionals and performers to take part in the bridge-side concerts, whose number is expected to reach 100 by the end of this year, according to Zhu.

Zhu notes that many inbound cruise travelers have chosen Tianjin as the first leg of their journey in China through the Tianjin International Cruise Home Port. The city has launched many measures to facilitate their trips, such as convenient payment methods and multilingual guides.

Sun Bowen, general manager of Trip.com Group's inbound tourism, says the inbound tourism market is on a positive growth trend.

For Tianjin, the total number of inbound tourism orders in the first half of this year increased by 50.7 percent compared to the same period last year, Sun says.

The number of inbound visits through the agency during the period also grew by approximately 58.2 percent, with the total value of goods sold increasing by 32.5 percent.

Additionally, transportation orders from international travelers to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area for the first six months surged by 69.2 percent year-on-year.

Sun considers these figures very encouraging.

"We've noticed an increase in independent travelers (across the country), who make up a larger portion of our platform's customers, which aligns with the country's visa-free policies, including the 144-hour visa-free transit policy," Sun notes.