During the light snow season, the "four leaf clover" blooms as usual. From November 22nd to 24th, 2024, the China International Tourism Fair will be held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai). Over 1000 international exhibitors from more than 80 countries and regions, as well as nearly 600 overseas travelers, will participate in the event, with "tourism" becoming their common language. Entering the exhibition area of about 53000 square meters, visitors can see a dazzling array of scenery and images of famous mountains and rivers from various places. Voices of promotion, inquiry, and negotiation can be heard from all over... The reporter listened carefully and felt the development direction of the cultural and tourism industry from it. On the opening day of this year's Travel Expo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that China has decided to expand the visa free countries to 38 countries. Starting from November 30, 2024, individuals holding ordinary passports from these countries who come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchange visits, or transit for no more than 30 days are eligible for visa free entry. The news reached the exhibition hall, and many people enthusiastically discussed it. Sam from Wendy Wu Travel Agency in Australia said, 'The visa free policy has improved the convenience for Australian tourists to come to China, which is a great encouragement for travel agents.' Overseas tourists have also responded quickly. Half an hour after the announcement, the search popularity for destinations related to China on Ctrip's overseas platforms in Europe and Japan increased by 65% and 112% respectively compared to the previous period, and the popularity of direct flights from multiple locations in Japan to domestic destinations surged. For some time now, allowing more inbound tourists to "come in" and "travel well" has become a concern for multiple departments. Payment, visa, customs clearance, accommodation, transportation, and other departments work together to improve the convenience level of inbound tourism services, enhance the sense of gain, experience, and satisfaction of inbound tourists. According to the data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People's Bank of China at this Travel Expo, in the first three quarters of 2024, the number of inbound tourists in China totaled 94.6283 million, a year-on-year increase of 78.8%; In October of this year, the number of offline transactions and transaction amounts of overseas bank cards increased by 184% and 150% respectively compared to February. During the tourism fair, activities such as "Hello! China" promotion and introduction of China's inbound tourism policies were also held, and China's enthusiasm and goodwill were deeply recognized by travel merchants from various countries. The relevant person in charge of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated that in the next step, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will continue to use major port cities as hubs, connect node cities, and form regional linkage by combining points, lines, and surfaces to create high-quality inbound tourism product routes, gradually breaking through the bottlenecks and difficulties faced by foreign tourists, improving the comprehensive service quality of inbound tourism, and promoting the continuous increase of international popularity of Chinese tourism. [More creative] "Bing Dwen Dwen", the top stream of cultural and creative circles, also participated in the 2024 Tourism Fair. In the booth of China Tourism Group, the new products of "Bing Dwen Dwen", a special version of the "Snake Pier" series for the Spring Festival of the Snake Year, attracted countless eyes. Since the beginning of this year, the tourism market has undergone significant changes, and China Travel Service Group has increased its efforts in developing and innovating tourism products in response to changes in consumer demand The Deputy General Manager of China Tourism Group believes that innovation has become an important driving force for the development of tourism enterprises. With the deepening of cultural and tourism integration, reconstructing tourism scenes and creating cultural and tourism products with wisdom and creativity has become a competitive track in the market. At this year's Tourism Expo, cultural and tourism promoters from all over the world have been introducing new features: Shanghai has moved the red wall of the iconic Wukang Building in City Walk to the venue, Henan has launched a series of products with the theme of "China's Ancient Capital Group on the Yellow River - Only Henan" for the first time, and Shanxi showcases the virtual image spokesperson of Shanxi's Shanxi style tourism, "Jin Yiyi"... The unique cultural and creative features of tourist destinations are also emerging with new ideas. From the three-dimensional puzzle of the Earthen Building in Fujian Province, to the plush IP series cultural creation of "Ronghua Museum" in Gansu Provincial Museum, to the dolls produced by the intangible heritage hemp weaving workshop in Ningxia immigrant village, new technology and new ideas are fully demonstrated through cultural and creative products. Dai Xuefeng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the Tourism Fair can promote the integration of new technologies, new demands, and tourism development, which is of great significance for launching more tourism products that better meet market demand. In front of the Shaanxi booth, the fluent English communication between two women, one from China and one from overseas, caught the attention of reporters. Seeing the dolls based on the Qinling giant panda "Qizai" placed on the platform, British travel salesman Natalie Larionova was interested in asking Zhang Mengjiao, Deputy General Manager of Xi'an China Travel Service Europe and America Branch, about Shaanxi tourism products. Nowadays, foreign guests' demand for inbound tourism is also changing, and they are more eager to experience the life of ordinary Chinese people. They are not only immersed in the ancient and modern urban style of Xi'an, but also willing to go deep into the rural areas of northern Shaanxi, eat, live, and work with their farmer friends Zhang Mengjiao introduced. At this year's Tourism Expo, the China Tourism Research Institute released the report "Trends and Prospects of China's Inbound Tourism Development". The report shows that the demand characteristics of inbound tourists are presenting new features: individualized travel methods, niche destinations, and experiential content that is more focused on daily life. In the eyes of industry insiders, this shift in demand centered around the "experience economy" has brought new ideas for the supply side reform of tourism products. Yunnan, a major tourism province, promoted its new cultural and tourism brand "Travel Yunnan" at this tourism fair. From "seeing the scenery" to "entering the scenery", tourists' psychological feelings are increasingly valued by the market. Long vacation, slow life, and deep experience have become vivid manifestations of "people-oriented" in tourism. A dynamic skiing photo at the Hebei exhibition booth has become the "facade" of Zhangjiakou, attracting many people to take photos and inquire. The Tourism Fair is a great platform and opportunity for us to promote Zhangjiakou's ice and snow tourism Cheng Yongxiang, a staff member of Zhangjiakou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, told reporters while distributing brochures that Chongli's ski resort is looking forward to welcoming more customers from outside the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region and expanding the new blue ocean of ice and snow economy. By understanding new products and recognizing new images, travel merchants have shown a strong interest in the "other side" of Chinese tourism. Brem Youssef, a representative of a travel agency from Morocco, said that he is more looking forward to understanding the development and changes in contemporary China and is considering designing more Chinese travel products suitable for overseas travelers. With the accelerated recovery of international tourism, industry professionals from various countries are eager to come to China to explore and discover more unique resources, learn about China's innovative ideas, and discover the new opportunities hidden within them Xu Limei, Marketing and Sales Director of Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai Hotel, analyzed. After the end of this year's tourism fair, some overseas travel merchants will also conduct research in Jiangsu, Chongqing, Henan and other places to personally experience the constantly emerging high-quality inbound tourism products and routes. A prosperous and confident life, urbanization development, and beautiful rural construction will make China more attractive In the opinion of Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Research Institute, telling a good story of culture and tourism in the process of Chinese path to modernization and forming cultural landmarks and tourism elements of contemporary China's image will inject more confidence and momentum into the development of the international tourism industry. (New Society)