Inbound tourism surges after UNESCO heritage inscription

China saw a remarkable surge in inbound tourism during this year's Spring Festival holiday, as the nation celebrated its first Spring Festival after the festival was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Border inspection authorities across the country recorded more than 14.36 million cross-border trips during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, which ended on Tuesday, marking a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year, according to statistics released on Wednesday by the National Immigration Administration. A total of 958,000 trips were made by foreigners, up 22.9 percent year-on-year.

Data from travel platforms also reflected this trend, with inbound tourism bookings on Trip.com growing 203 percent year-on-year during the holiday, while domestic flight bookings on Qunar using non-Chinese passports rose by 70 percent.

Xi'an in Shaanxi province, a city steeped in history, emerged as a popular destination for international tourists. The city's entry ports handled 47,000 inbound and outbound trips during the holiday, with daily passenger traffic increasing 84 percent, according to data from the provincial border inspection station.

The Heslops, a couple from the United Kingdom who had previously experienced Chinese New Year celebrations in the UK's Chinatown, said they were impressed by the festive atmosphere in Xi'an.

They visited the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, Xi'an Museum and Xi'an City Wall, immersing themselves in the city's rich history and experiencing the warm hospitality of the locals.

They said that they learned to say Xin Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year) and She Nian Da Ji (Good Luck in the Year of the Snake), expressing their intention to share this unforgettable experience with relatives and friends back home.

An 80-year-old visitor from Malaysia surnamed Lim said the city's festive decorations and grand lantern show left him and his wife in awe.

"Xi'an has always been a place we longed to visit. Only by experiencing it in person can we truly appreciate its profound history," he said, adding that spending Chinese New Year in Xi'an was a fascinating experience.

In Henan province, cities including Kaifeng, Zhengzhou and Luo-yang attracted large numbers of international visitors with vibrant cultural activities, such as lantern shows, temple fairs and traditional folk performances.

According to data from Trip.com, inbound tourism orders in Zhengzhou surged 132 percent year-on-year, with top sources being China's Hong Kong and Taiwan, the United States, Singapore and Thailand.

Luoyang saw a 100 percent increase in inbound tourism orders while Kaifeng saw a 92 percent increase.

For Areanna Haz, a first-time visitor to China from Ecuador, Shanghai offered a perfect blend of modernity and tradition.

"Celebrating Spring Festival here helped me understand Chinese culture better," she said. "Watching the city illuminate with red lanterns, participating in traditional customs, enjoying festive foods like dumplings and nian'gao (rice cake), and witnessing the fireworks display at Longhua Temple made the experience unforgettable."

Roberto Andrade Figueroa, a Mexican scholar from Harvard Kennedy School, observed the universal appeal of the festival.

Spring Festival, mostly celebrated in Chinese communities across the world, embodies a universal human experience of spending time with family and relishing a fresh start, he said.

An increasing number of foreign visitors chose to experience the festive atmosphere in Chinese homestays.

During the holiday, homestay booking platform Tujia saw a 3.7-fold increase in bookings by non-Chinese passport holders, with 51 towns receiving orders from foreigners for the first time.