BEIJING, January 13 (Xinhua) -- In 2024, Beijing received 3.942 million inbound tourism trips, marking a 186.8% year-on-year increase and a recovery to 88.9% of the 2019 level, according to the statistics released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism on January 13.

According to the statistics, the composition of tourists is as follows: 729,000 visits from Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan region, accounting for 18.5% of the total, a 10.3% increase compared to 2019; 3.213 million foreign visits, making up 81.5%, a recovery to 85.1% of the 2019 level.

Beijing has taken the lead in the Chinese mainland in enabling tap-and-go subway fare payment with foreign bank cards, and establishing demonstration zones and centers for payment services at airports. It has piloted the “online booking, offline pickup” service for foreigners applying for SIM cards. With all the measures, Beijing aims to address challenges and deliver higher-quality, comprehensive services for inbound tourists from entry to transportation, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, and payment.

The city has also kept offering new tourism products for more foreign tourists to experience the beauty of China. In 2024, popular tourism offerings included “Strolling Along the Central Axis”, “Cycling Along the Central Axis”, and “Beautiful Central Axis”. A large number of foreign tourists have been attracted by the cultural tourism night tour project along the Liangma River International Waterfront, the trendy IP toys of POP LAND, and Jingcai Lantern Festival.

“In response to the growing number of independent inbound travelers in 2024, we provided specialized offerings like Citywalk tours and Tai Chi lessons tailored to their needs,” said Hu Jiying, Deputy General Manager of CYTS International Travel Co., Ltd.

According to Guo Min, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall Tourism Service Co., Ltd., visits made to the Mutianyu Great Wall surpassed 2 million for the first time in 2024, in which about 40% were made by foreign visitors. “Our scenic spot will continue to improve payment facilitation and multilingual services to attract more foreign tourists to experience the unique charm of the Great Wall,” Guo said.

Leveraging its unique cultural and tourism resources as well as its advantages in hosting international events, in 2025, Beijing will launch more thematic and distinctive premium tour routes that feature in-depth integration of culture, tourism, business and sports. To this end, the city will work to resume more international flights, streamline exit-entry procedures, improve its international language environment, and build barrier-free payment service zones.

(Written by Yang Shujun)