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

Russia claimed on Thursday that its forces had struck Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine, while Ukraine reported on the same day that numerous energy facilities across the country were hit by Russian missiles and drones.

In a report, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had destroyed armored vehicles, UK- and US-made howitzers, as well as ammunition depots and military airport infrastructure of the Ukrainian side.

Russian air defense systems had also intercepted a Neptune missile and shot down 49 drones of the Ukrainian army, according to the report.

The ministry further announced that, in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory, its forces had recently launched 100 missiles and deployed 466 drones, targeting sites where Ukrainian troops had positioned Western-supplied long-range weapon systems.

Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko said on Thursday that energy facilities across Ukraine were struck by Russian forces, leading to emergency power outages in Kiev, Odesa, and other regions.

On Friday, Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian missiles and drones targeted much of western Ukraine, prompting nationwide air raid alerts.

Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces on Thursday reported that dozens of battles took place along the frontlines that afternoon.

It also noted that the situation remains tense, with the fiercest fighting concentrated in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions.

Ukrainian forces are taking all necessary measures to prevent Russian troops from breaching their defenses, it added.

Russia claims strikes on Western-supplied weapons in Ukraine, Ukraine reports Russian strikes on energy facilities