This summer, China's inbound tourism market has seen a remarkable surge. From first- and second-tier core cities to vibrant third- and fourth-tier towns, overseas tourists are constantly expanding their travel horizons, and the inbound tourism market is transforming from sightseeing and check-in to immersive experiences. More overseas tourists are choosing to immerse themselves in the natural beauty, cultural charm, and convenience of life in China. Today, we'll focus on several distinctive cities to see how they've created their core attractions to encourage overseas tourists to linger.

This summer, Zhangjiajie's magnificent and beautiful scenery has attracted an increasing number of European tourists. In Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, a reporter encountered a 24-person Italian tour group. 61-year-old Mercato Andrea, an Italian pastry chef, and his wife had come to Zhangjiajie specifically for this trip. Upon arriving at the scenic area, a sudden downpour initially worried that it would spoil their travel experience. However, a few hours later, the rain stopped, and the quartz sandstone peaks rose majestically amidst the sea of clouds, leaving him with unforgettable memories of Zhangjiajie's beauty.

As a pastry chef, Andrea has already found a new inspiration. He plans to return home and incorporate the scenery and charm of Zhangjiajie into his desserts, so that customers in his hometown can also "taste" this romance from the East.

When visiting Zhangjiajie, the Bailong Elevator is an absolute must-try thrill ride. In just 66 seconds, the elevator takes you from the bottom of the mountain straight into the sky. The uniquely shaped peaks and rocks unfold before your eyes like a scroll painting, delivering a powerful visual impact.

With its unique peak forest and canyon landforms and spectacular cliffside walkways, Zhangjiajie has become a popular filming location for many domestic and foreign movies. This summer, a large number of foreign tourists have flocked to Zhangjiajie to escape the summer heat, following the footsteps of those films. Taking the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Scenic Area as an example, it has received an average of nearly 10,000 visitors per day since the start of the summer season, with inbound tourists accounting for more than half of them.

Li Fan, General Manager of the Overseas Center of a travel agency in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province: The number of inbound tourists in 2025 increased by about 30% compared to 2024. Looking at the situation in 2026, it will increase by nearly 30% on the basis of 2025. There are particularly many European tourists in August, and the orders are particularly large.

While inbound orders continue to rise, the travel needs of overseas tourists are also quietly changing.

Qin Zhe, manager of the European and American Department of a travel agency in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province: Many customers ask us about the folk customs of the ethnic minorities in this area. They want to experience them. We will recommend some unique local products, such as Tujia brocade weaving, handmade sand painting, printmaking, tie-dyeing, etc., and we will add them to the itinerary accordingly.

A Tujia brocade museum has recently been receiving numerous overseas experience groups daily. Foreign tourists learn about the history of Tujia brocade weaving while sitting at ancient looms and trying their hand at traditional Tujia handicrafts. With its unique scenery and distinctive traditions, tourism platform data shows that in the summer of 2026, Zhangjiajie saw a 93.69% year-on-year increase in inbound tourism ticket orders to Europe, the highest ever.

Zhang Yiwu, director of the Center for Cultural Resources Research at Peking University: Places like Zhangjiajie, with their unique natural landscapes and distinctive culture, are inherently very attractive. These places already have very complete services and tourism support systems. They can be quickly reached and experienced via high-speed rail and air travel, which has revitalized the tourism industry in third- and fourth-tier cities. This has actually become a new trend and a new direction.

This summer, an increasing number of foreign tourists are visiting China, embarking on in-depth tours that go beyond simply "seeing" China to "experiencing" it. In Wuzhishan, Hainan, tourists are visiting tea gardens, participating in tea picking and tea identification processes, and experiencing China's tea culture. In Chengdu, American tourists are transforming into Sichuan cuisine chefs, adding a unique "Sichuan flavor" to their journey.

The coastal city of Qinhuangdao in Hebei Province has become a popular leisure and vacation destination for many overseas tourists during the summer vacation. This year, during the peak tourist season, Qinhuangdao received 48,800 overseas tourists, a year-on-year increase of 60.2%. Traditional Chinese medicine and wellness services have become a must-do for many visitors.

Beyond health and wellness experiences, Beidaihe in Qinhuangdao boasts stunning azure seas, blue skies, and sandy beaches, attracting a large number of overseas tourists during this hot summer. On the beach, we met a family from Russia. Alexandrova had visited China 20 years ago and was returning with her children. She reminisced about 20 years ago, saying that exchanging money required searching for exchange points, but now mobile payments make shopping incredibly convenient. This time in Qinhuangdao, she even bought two large suitcases, which are now completely full.

Russian tourist Alexandrova Vera: The quality of Chinese goods is very good, especially great. Usually, I feel very tired and want to go home when the holiday is about to end, but I don't feel that way at all here. I want to stay longer, and I feel like I haven't stayed enough. Both children and adults want to play for a few more days.

This relaxed and enjoyable vacation experience is inseparable from my country's continuously optimized visa-free entry policy. From the moment foreign tourists step off the plane, they can feel the convenience in every aspect. It is precisely because of these conveniences that more and more foreign tourists are choosing to travel independently in China. Interviews revealed that many independent travelers are even spending about half a month in Qinhuangdao this summer, freely ordering food and shopping there.

One shop owner told us that there have been significantly more foreign customers this summer, and many of them share their firsthand experiences of shopping in China after buying clothes.

From fleeting sightseeing and quick check-ins to extended stays and consumption, inbound tourism is undergoing a profound transformation.

Zhang Yiwu: This is actually a very important upgrade and transformation, which is to enable more people to stay and experience more things in a leisure and vacation atmosphere, to explore the characteristics of many aspects of our life services, and to explore the characteristics of many products, so that these characteristics can be connected with overseas audiences.

As China's visa-free travel network continues to expand, "reverse cross-border e-commerce" is gaining popularity, with Chinese brands, trendy domestic designs, and smart electronic products becoming new choices on foreign tourists' shopping lists. Thanks to the implementation of new tax refund policies for departing tourists, the refund process has been further simplified, and the coverage of tax-refund stores continues to expand. Platform data shows that since June, spending by inbound tourists has increased by 72.9% year-on-year.

In Shanghai, a significant number of people carry a special "shopping list"—getting glasses, a haircut, and custom-made clothing. At the Shanghai International Glasses City, we saw many overseas tourists who had come specifically to visit.

The speed at which a pair of glasses can be made in half an hour has amazed many foreign tourists. In the less than an hour that the reporter was interviewing, this small shop saw three or four groups of customers.

A pair of glasses allows foreign tourists to experience the "Shanghai speed"; while a haircut experience lets them feel the delicate and thoughtful "Shanghai warmth." In a hair salon on Hongqiao Town's Old Foreigners' Street, what changes in front of the mirror is not just hairstyles, but also the smiling faces of tourists from all over the world.

The hair salon offers customized styling services tailored to the hair type, face shape, and clothing style of tourists from different countries. The fluent English of every staff member makes this "customization" seamless, and has led to more and more foreign customers becoming repeat customers.

If getting glasses and haircuts are considered "small but exquisite" consumer services, then the bespoke tailoring center on the South Bund is Shanghai's trump card in "customized services." For many foreign tourists, it's the first stop when they visit Shanghai.

The South Bund Bespoke Tailoring Center was formerly known as the famous "Dongjiadu" in Shanghai. A seemingly unremarkable building houses over 200 bespoke tailoring shops. Many foreign tourists arrive with their suitcases as soon as they get off the plane, have their measurements taken, then travel around the area for a few days before picking up their clothes before leaving.

Professor Satya Mijetinen from Finland was in Tongji University for a summer exchange program. Despite her busy schedule, she made a special trip to the South Bund to have a dress custom-made there.

Finnish tourist Sattu Mijetinen: This is my second custom-made dress. My first custom-made dress was my wedding dress, which was a long time ago, and it turned out very well. I'm a professor of service design, and I study service quality and interactive experience. The quality of custom-made services in China is very high.

Carefully selected goods and enjoyable shopping experiences—these seemingly ordinary moments of life are quietly reshaping foreign friends' perceptions of China and painting a picture of a convenient, warm, and vibrant real China.

The grandeur of China's landscape is its foundation; the warmth of its everyday life is its essence; and attentive service and innovative business models are its new calling cards. Today, China is showcasing its unique charm to the world in increasingly diverse ways. The transformation and upgrading of inbound tourism has not only revitalized the cultural and tourism industry but has also become an important window for the world to understand China and for two-way exchanges between China and other countries. This shift from "sightseeing" to "experience" has opened up many new and exciting possibilities for the story of inbound tourism.

(Source: CCTV News)