Ctrip's Senior Vice President, Wang Wei: China's inbound tourism has entered a period of comprehensive prosperity.

On the afternoon of November 8th, the "10th Anniversary of the Implementation of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement" sub-forum of the 8th Hongqiao International Economic Forum was held in Shanghai. During the forum, Wang Wei, Senior Vice President of Ctrip Group, had a dialogue with Sina Finance. Since the beginning of this year, the number of inbound tourism orders for Ctrip has increased significantly compared to the previous year. When asked about the core driving force behind the current growth in inbound tourism, Wang Wei mentioned that the continuous release of the benefits of the current inbound facilitation policies has played a key role. For example, unilateral visa exemptions for countries like Russia and Brazil have come into effect, and the government recently announced the extension of unilateral visa exemptions for 45 countries such as France, Germany, and Japan. As a result of these favorable policies, the number of Russian inbound tourists has made Russia the fifth largest source of inbound tourists to China. In the Beijing market, Russian tourists have surpassed those from Japan and South Korea, becoming the largest international source of tourists in the area. Wang Wei also mentioned that the facilitation of inbound travel continues to improve, with the National Immigration Administration announcing the launch of online reporting for entry cards in late November, aligning with smart customs clearance in popular international travel destinations. Tourists can now apply online in advance on the website or through a mobile app, greatly enhancing customs efficiency and comfort for tourists, demonstrating a more open, intelligent, and friendly image of China to the world. Wang Wei emphasized that the inbound tourism market is transitioning from being "policy-driven" to being "quality-driven." From the industry trend perspective, China's inbound tourism has entered a period of comprehensive prosperity, with policy focus shifting from "improving service infrastructure" to "promoting consumption and expanding capacity."