At 1 a.m. on August 20, 2025, Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 was still brightly lit. British blogger "London Walker" livestreamed using a gimbal: "My first time arriving in China late at night, and there were actually free Chinese calligraphy lessons at the airport!" The video garnered 1.2 million likes within 24 hours, with comments peppered with comments like, "China is so good at pampering tourists."
According to Beijing Port, a total of 1.93 million foreigners entered China during the summer vacation (July 1st to August 20th), a year-on-year increase of 36.5%, with 40% choosing the 72-hour visa-free transit option. To help turn passing travelers into repeat customers, Beijing's cultural and tourism department has established a multilingual "One-Click Beijing Tour" service center in the airport arrival hall. Visitors can scan a QR code to book 20 mini-tours, including a night tour of the Great Wall, a Peking Opera makeup experience, and a hutong bike ride, with departures as quick as 30 minutes.
The charm of "Chinese travel" lies not only in the attractions but also in the details. The Tianjin Cruise Home Port has launched a "144-hour visa-free tour" green channel, with border inspection, customs, and transportation departments working under one roof, allowing seamless travel from ship to car to city in 15 minutes. A 300-meter-long bilingual road sign at the foot of the Guangzhou Tower allows navigation with a simple tap of a phone's NFC. Fifty Hanfu stores in Xi'an's Tang Dynasty City of Lights remain open until 2 a.m., offering nighttime styling experiences for tourists.
Improved services translate directly into increased spending. Alipay data shows that mobile payment amounts by foreign tourists in China doubled year-on-year during the summer, with nighttime spending accounting for as much as 38%. A representative from Utour revealed that newly launched products like "Follow Wukong to Tour Shanxi" and "One-Day Handcrafting in the Porcelain Capital of Jingdezhen" have seen average customer spending exceeding 2,000 yuan, yet remain in high demand. The China Tourism Academy predicts that with international flights expected to recover to 110% of pre-pandemic levels by the fourth quarter of 2025 and the expansion of the 240-hour transit visa-free pilot program, the number of inbound Chinese tourists is expected to exceed 150 million annually, with the proportion of in-depth tours exceeding 50% for the first time, marking China's true entry into the ranks of global tourism powerhouses.