Beijing receives record number of inbound tourists in Jan-Sept

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Chinese capital city of Beijing received a staggering 207.8 percent year-on-year increase in inbound tourists in the first three quarters of the year as inbound travel continued to heat up, marked by a shift from sightseeing to culture-themed in-depth experience tours.

In the first nine months, Beijing welcomed the 2.72 million inbound tourist arrivals, with the United States and Russia being the top two sources, and raked in 3.41 billion U.S. dollars of foreign exchange income from tourism, representing a year-on-year increase of 168.5 percent. 

The number of tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan came in at 505,000, accounting for 18.6 percent, and the number of foreign tourists stood at 2.21 million, taking up 81.4 percent of the total in the January-September period. 

A total of 280,000 American tourists visited Beijing followed by Russia at 203,000 during the period. The number of travelers from Japan, Germany, Singapore and Malaysia to Beijing exceeded 100,000.

September is the peak time since the beginning of the year, when Beijing received 384,000 inbound travelers, a new high for the year.  

Foreign tourists prefer visiting the Forbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, Summer Palace, Beijing Central Axis, Universal Studios Beijing, Olympic Park,  798 Art District, Shougang Park, and Gubei Water Town with popular routes covering Beijing's traditional attractions, specialty intangible cultural heritage, emerging scenic spots, and cultural performances. 

To further optimize the travel experience of foreign passengers, Beijing's subway network has enabled foreign visitors to swipe their foreign bank cards at all turnstiles and all times for subway rides. Currently, bank cards from more than 100 countries and regions are being used in Beijing subways.

"For us foreigners, it's [like] in our own country. It's exactly the same as in London, as in Paris, as in Dubai. So even a first-time person arriving in China, in Beijing, it's so simple. You can't ask for anything more," said Graham Christian, an international tourist.

Beijing receives record number of inbound tourists in Jan-Sept

Northeast China's Liaoning Province is stepping up efforts to rebuild homes affected by summer floods in Chaoyang City and Huludao City, aiming to secure the local residents a warm winter.

As the winter is approaching, local authorities pledged to finish housing reconstruction in rural areas by the end of October.

In Maohezi Village of Chaoyang City, villager Wu Xiujun is about to move into her new home. Her house has finished structural construction, and workers are busy on interior finishing.

"I am so happy to live in the new house. I'm filled with joy," said Wu.

In Zhujiagou Village of Huludao City, the reconstruction of the whole village is about to finish, with over 340 workers working around the clock.

"The new houses are taking shape day after day. The construction has been quick with good quality. We villagers are all satisfied and delighted," said Wang Nan, a local villager.

Yangzhudixia Village of Huludao City, where villagers are relocated from the disaster this summer, is seeing insulation installed for 55 newly built brick houses. Villagers expect to move in by the end of October.

"The project schedule is scientifically arranged, and every process is designated with two persons in charge, one for supervision and coordination, and the other is responsible for technical disclosure. In this way, we can guarantee the quality of our project," introduced Xie Hui, deputy manager of Communications Construction and Municipal Administration Cooperation under the Communications Construction Group of Huludao City.

As of Saturday, Liaoning has completed rebuilding nearly 90 percent of the 16,651 houses damaged by natural disasters.

Liaoning speeds up reconstruction work to house flood-afflicted people