On March 2nd, the "Europa 2" carrying about 500 foreign tourists slowly docked at the cruise homeport in Qingdao, Shandong. This is a vivid example of the continued popularity of inbound tourism. On February 28th, the National Bureau of Statistics released the 2024 Statistical Bulletin on National Economic and Social Development, which showed that there were 131.9 million inbound tourists in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 60.8%; The total expenditure of inbound tourists was 94.2 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 77.8%; The number of foreigners entering the country through visa free visa was 20120000, up 112.3% year on year. In order to continuously stimulate the vitality of the inbound tourism market, Tianjin, Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong and other places have made inbound tourism an important task for the development of culture and tourism in 2025 since the beginning of this year, and have introduced new measures in transportation facilitation, payment facilitation and other aspects to promote the development of the inbound tourism market. The "magnetic attraction" of inbound tourism enhances the diversified experience and strengthens the "magnetic attraction" of inbound tourism. The report "Trends and Prospects of China's Inbound Tourism Development" released by the China Tourism Research Institute shows that inbound tourism presents new characteristics: individualized travel methods, niche destinations, and life oriented experiential content. Hu Jiying, the head of the Immigration Department of China Youth Travel Service, introduced that in response to the increasing trend of individual inbound tourists, China Youth Travel Service has launched fragmented products such as cooking and learning Tai Chi. Combined with the successful application for World Heritage status of the Beijing Central Axis, it has launched cycling routes and cooperated with domestic traditional Chinese medicine institutions to promote traditional Chinese medicine experience routes. Consumers are more willing to choose experiences that bring happiness and satisfaction, rather than material goods Liang Jianzhang, co-founder and chairman of Ctrip Group, said that Ctrip is committed to investing in artificial intelligence and promoting the development of inbound tourism, using innovation to enhance the overall tourism experience. Artificial intelligence technology will serve as an important supplement to provide users with more personalized and efficient travel services. Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Research Institute, believes that improving detailed services such as duty-free shops within the city, departure tax refund services, luggage storage, and logistics connections can effectively enhance the tourism experience of inbound tourists. It is worth mentioning that listed companies have launched new measures to enhance the inbound tourism experience. For example, Zhongxin Tourism recently announced on an investor interaction platform that the company established an entry service subsidiary in 2024 and has launched many flexible high-end customized products, which have received high praise. Local governments are increasing policy support to promote the development of the inbound tourism market, and many places are actively launching new measures. On March 1st, the launch ceremony of the "Beijing Central Axis Barrier free Payment Service Tourism Demonstration Zone" was held, officially releasing the "Changyou Tong" and "Mi Fang Card" integrated product solutions to further solve the problems of small payment difficulties for inbound tourists and high cross-border roaming communication service fees. The further improvement of payment convenience will help Beijing build a "preferred destination for inbound tourism in China" and accelerate the development of the inbound tourism market. In addition to payment facilitation, some places are also strengthening support for entry facilitation. Shanghai recently released the "Three Year Action Plan for Comprehensive Promotion of High Quality Development of Shanghai's Tourism Industry (2025-2027)", proposing to optimize inbound tourism products. We will make good use of visa free policies and visa policies for group travel of foreigners at ports, and develop diversified inbound travel channel combinations such as "air+railway", "air ticket+cruise". Spring Airlines Chairman Wang Yu suggested further expanding the scope of visa free policies, strengthening the management of the tourism market order, and promoting the construction of a convenient tourism reception system. Dai Bin stated that under the promotion of entry facilitation policies such as visa free entry and payment in China, inbound tourism has achieved unexpected growth. (New Society)