[Photo via VCG]

Recently, Tongcheng Travel released Beijing Tourism Consumption Report for 2024 (the Report for short), according to which Beijing maintained its position as the top inbound tourism destination in the Chinese mainland for the year. China's Hong Kong SAR was the primary source of inbound tourists.

According to data from Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Beijing recorded 3.17 million visits made by overseas inbound tourists between January and October 2024, indicating a 198.8-percent increase compared with the same period in 2023. The top 10 source markets for inbound tourism in Beijing are China's Hong Kong SAR, the United States, Russia, China's Taiwan, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Beijing's inbound tourism sector grew faster in 2024 due to the ongoing optimization of unilateral visa exemption policies and those pertaining to visa-free transit. The top 10 source markets with the highest growth in visitor volumes are Spain, Malaysia, Vietnam, Italy, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Singapore, France, and the Philippines.

The Report also demonstrates that the growth of Beijing's cultural tourism consumption still heavily relied on historic sites. Among them, the Central Axis has emerged as a must-visit location for both Chinese and foreign tourists. Themed parks, zoos, botanical gardens and other attractions favored by both locals and tourists from elsewhere became more popular choices. Among the top 10 popular destinations in China for 2024, Beijing ranked first in terms of the number of room nights per capita, of which nearly 25 percent was recorded in Chaoyang District.

(Source: The Beijing News)