CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- “It’s awesome! Wuling Mountain is simply a heaven on earth!” After taking photos of Tujia dancing with her phone in Qianjiang Zhuoshui Ancient Town, the British tourist Ida exclaimed, “Chongqing is a fairy place with both beautiful scenes and handsome people. I’ve been waiting for a visit to Chongqing for three years and it’s very worthwhile.”

The other seven inbound tourists in the same group with her also kept extolling Wuling Mountain.

After fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic for three years, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport welcomed the first tourist group from Macau on the evening of March 10, 2023, marking the resumption of inbound tourism in Chongqing. The number of inbound arrivals in Chongqing has risen rapidly in the past four months.

How can Chongqing attract more international visitors during economic recovery period? What are the new changes in the demand of international tourists? The reporter has investigated to find the answers to these questions.

Favored by most international visitors

Chongqing becomes a new tourism destination for foreign visitors

“The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River presents very majestic and worth visiting. Though it’s hot and crowded, all visitors observe public order. I enjoy this trip and will definitely recommend my friends and relatives to visit China.” Mr. and Mrs. Dylan, the tourists from Germany, had a rewarding Three Gorges Cruise with the ship “Legend” of Century Cruises.

“In addition to the fascinating scenery, I am fond of Chinese food, especially those with fillings, such as fried dumplings and Xiaolongbao (small steamed meat-filled buns). I order two of each every time,” said Mr. Dylan.

Three Gorges Cruises have always been an important support for Chongqing's inbound tourism market, said Li Qing, Deputy General Manager of the Marketing Center of Chongqing Guanda Century Cruise Co., Ltd., to which Century Cruises belongs. Since China resumed the operation of travel agencies and travel companies to offer inbound group tours for foreigners and “air tickets + hotel accommodation” services this March, the searches and orders for inbound visits to China have increased significantly. Foreign visitors are once again seen in multiple tourist destinations.

“We have received more than 1,300 foreign tourists. The recovery in the inbound tourism market is exceeding our expectations, as the figures for inbound tourists in China continue to increase noticeably on a monthly basis,” said Li Qing.

According to the WTA report on China's Inbound Tourism Market in the First Half of 2023, the average prosperity index of China's inbound tourism market reached 15, up 13 index points from the first half of 2019. After the resumption of inbound tourism, the demand for inbound tourism has risen dramatically, and the sales of air tickets also showed an upward trend. Marking 2023 as the year of inbound tourism recovery.

The report also shows that the market prosperity index of inbound tourism in all regions of China presents an upward trend compared with the same period in 2019. Chengdu, Chongqing, and Yunnan in the southwest have emerged as popular destinations for inbound visitors in recent years. With adorable pandas and spicy hot pot increasingly favored by most foreign visitors, the southwestern region is expected to become part of a classic travel route for inbound tourism in the future.

Various marketing strategies

Multiple marketing activities overseas

Compared with other traditional tourist cities in China, Chongqing is an inland city. How did Chongqing achieve a sharp upward trend in inbound tourism in just a few months?

Industry professionals believe that this success closely depends on the various oversea marketing strategies implemented by Chongqing.

Modern tourism is also known as an industry of attention, ideas, or innovation. Capacities for marketing, planning, and managing are increasingly valuable and determine the success or failure of a tourist destination or scenic spot.

Chongqing has implemented all-around, innovative, and various international marketing strategies this year. For example, the 2023 China-Singapore (Chongqing) Culture and Tourism Industry Alliance Tourism Product Launch & Reception held at the Chongqing Window of International Culture and Tourism this March offers product release, exchange parties, field trips, and other activities to further enhance the cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore, and better satisfy the market demand for the interconnection and win-win cooperation between the two parties.

The Tea & the World – Elegance Collection planned by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism in partnership with the Chinese Cultural Center of Paris was held in Paris, France this May. The event attracted numerous Parisian citizens with rich cultural experiences such as an exhibition, tea drinking, music appreciation, and flower viewing. At the same time, a series of “The Window of Chongqing in Paris” promotion activities were held to enhance the international reputation and influence of Chongqing's cultural tourism.

Additionally, Chongqing carried out a series of the 2023 “Chongqing Meets Australia” Youth Promotion Officer Selection Activities, participated in the 11th Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo, and hosted the 2023 Chongqing Tourism Promotion Conference “Hello Chongqing” in Macau to further enhance the image and popularity of Chongqing among overseas tourists.

Multiple measures

Build a world-renowned tourism destination

“Tourism serves as an appealing calling card to the world for China. Foreign tourists' travel experiences in China have mostly exceeded their expectations, and they are willing to recommend China to their relatives and friends as a tourist destination. In addition, young foreign tourists have become the main force of inbound tourism. They are glad to obtain tourism information through the Internet and they stress more emphasis on the convenience of services,” according to Sun Jie.

In Sun Jie's view, it is necessary to make visa applications more convenient, restore airline capacity, increase payment, and other infrastructure construction in order to promote the the development of inbound tourism in China. With the continuous promotion of various beneficial policies, the inbound tourism market will usher in new opportunities.

“Measures such as enhancing the quality of domestic world-class tourism destinations, focusing on the construction of urban tourism brands, and innovatively promoting international communication, are the only ways to be taken under the increasingly fierce competition of global tourism destinations”, said Luo Zibai, Chief Expert of the Yangtze River Tourism Research Base of China Tourism Academy and Director of the Chongqing Tourism Development Research Center. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)