BEIJING (AP) — In the first two months of 2024, China recorded 2. 95 million foreign arrivals and departures, an official said Friday, citing data from the National Immigration Administration.
The figure marks a remarkable 2. 3-fold increase from the previous era and a recovery that reaches 41. 5% from the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, Shi Zeyi, head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told a news conference.
The official attributed the adjustments in part to the visa-free access policy that China recently extended to countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia and Singapore, pointing to a significant increase in the number of tourists from those countries. countries during the Spring Festival period.
In the future, China will take measures to remove obstacles and resolve similar disruptions in culture and tourism, especially by making the payment procedure more convenient at tourist sites, places of cultural functionality and hotels, the official said.
The country will also offer more tourism products and intensify its advertising and promotion efforts in the foreign market, the official added.