China-May Day Holiday/Inbound Tourism
China-May Day Holiday/Inbound Tourism
Dateline : Recent
Location : China
Duration : 2'20
Sanya City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of coastline, resort area
2. Various of travelers at railway station; train personnel working; assisting foreign travelers
3. Passengers boarding train
Fujian Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of foreign travelers at scenic sites
Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of centralized refund point for departure tax rebates, foreign travelers
Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Saad, Saudi Arabian tourist (full name not given):
"It is very convenient because when I bought things from Fujian Province, I was able to have very easy travel plans because of the new policy, the tax refund upon purchase policy, which is very good that it's now [in operation]. It's very convenient for me."
7. Aerial shots of cityscape, traditional buildings
Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Aerial shot of travelers in scenic area
9. Various of foreign travelers learning about intangible cultural heritage
10. Various of foreign travelers visiting center for sci-tech innovation, humanoid robots
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Alex, Peruvian tourist (full name not given) (starting with shot 10):
"It's like being in the future. Technology is moving way too fast in China. It's advancing like so quickly."
Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of foreign tourists visiting city wall; watching cultural performance, buying items at stalls
Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Song Rui, director of the tourism research center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (starting with shot 12/ending with shots 14-15):
"Inbound tourism is currently transitioning from an expansion phase, characterized by visa-free policies, to a quality-improvement phase, marked by enhanced visitor experiences. Policies are becoming more targeted, and services more refined. Given China's rich resources, industrial capacity, and the strong support of its national economic development, inbound tourism is bound to see further growth in the future."
Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
14. Various of foreign tourists watching traditional performance; taking photos
Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - April 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. Various of customs officers helping travelers; international travelers at border inspection area; travelers going through border inspection procedures
China has seen robust inbound tourism growth during the May Day holiday period which ended Tuesday, driven by the country's continuously improved entry facilitation policies, optimized tax refund incentives, and enhanced tourism services.
As its visa-free policies continue to expand to include more countries, China has been welcoming a growing number of overseas visitors, with the country's five-day May Day holiday also drawing in tourists from around the world.
One of the most popular destinations is south China's tropical island province of Hainan, where the high-speed rail network connects 12 major cities and counties across the island. The local railway authority proactively coordinated with travel agencies to streamline the ticketing process for inbound tour groups and offered multilingual translation services to cater to visitors' needs.
Tax refund services have also been continuously upgraded with the introduction of an instant departure tax refund which has further encouraged consumption among foreign visitors across China. The launch of cross-provincial mutual recognition between south China's Guangdong Province and the neighboring Fujian Province starting from April 1 has also spurred more spending among foreign visitors who are moving to different locations.
Statistics show that in the first four days of the May Day holiday, sales under the departure tax refund policy in Guangdong surged by over 152 percent year-on-year, while the number of overseas visitors claiming tax refunds in Fujian was up by staggering 431 percent compared to last year.
A visitor in Fujian's historic port city of Quanzhou, which has been designated with UNESCO World Heritage status, hailed the benefits of the policy.
"It is very convenient because when I bought things from Fujian Province, I was able to have very easy travel plans because of the new policy, the tax refund upon purchase policy, which is very good that it's now [in operation]. It's very convenient for me," said Saad, a tourist from Saudi Arabia.
Many foreign tourists have been experiencing the traditional rural lifestyle and learning about the local intangible cultural heritage in the Shangyu District of east China's Zhejiang Province, trying their hand at some arts and handicrafts skills.
While embracing some of these age-old customs, many are also getting a glimpse of the future by stopping off at demonstration centers for sci-tech innovation, where they can explore some of the country's cutting-edge technologies, including advanced humanoid robots.
"It's like being in the future. Technology is moving way too fast in China. It's advancing like so quickly," said a Peruvian tourist named Alex.
With the latest expansion in its entry policies, China now offers unilateral visa exemption to passport holders from 50 countries, mutual visa-free access to 29 countries, and 240-hour transit privileges to travelers from 55 countries.
As of the end of April, the number of stores offering the instant tax refund service has reached over 8,000, more than doubling compared to last year.
Insiders say these measures are likely to continue to encourage growth in the tourism sector by enticing more foreign visitors to make the trip to China.
"Inbound tourism is currently transitioning from an expansion phase, characterized by visa-free policies, to a quality-improvement phase, marked by enhanced visitor experiences. Policies are becoming more targeted, and services more refined. Given China's rich resources, industrial capacity, and the strong support of its national economic development, inbound tourism is bound to see further growth in the future," said Song Rui, director of the tourism research center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
ID : 8477996
Published : 2026-05-06 10:45
Last Modified : 2026-05-06 16:53:44
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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