Foreign Ministry: China welcomes 'on-a-whim' travel from global visitors

China welcomes friends from all countries to engage in "on-a-whim travel" to the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

"China has recently been quite a popular destination for foreign tourists. Many have posted their experiences on social media. Numbers show that 'China Travel' has become a top trending search on multiple global social media platforms. What's your comment?" a reporter asked during a regular press briefing.

"We are very glad to see the popularity of China as a tourist destination for foreign visitors. Government figures show that in the first half of this year, China received 14.635 million foreign travelers, up 152.7 percent year-on-year. Among them, 8.542 million entered China visa-free, up 190.1 percent year-on-year," Lin noted.

As more countries benefit from the visa-free policy and China implements more measures to ease cross-border travel, "on-a-whim travel" to China is becoming a reality, he added.

"We have seen recently a lot of videos posted by foreign travelers – many are first-person views or snapshot videos – which give people a glimpse of China's robust dynamism," said Lin. "Through their lens, we see the light show on the Liangma River in Beijing, Shanghai street delicacies, food delivery by drone in Shenzhen, and futuristic sky trains and self-driving air taxis in Optics Valley in Wuhan."

Figures show that 86 percent of the foreign visitors who had been to China before find it much easier to make payments in China today, according to Lin. Scanning the payment code with one's phone has become a stylish experience for foreign friends in China, he added.

The spokesperson noted that more foreigners are expected to travel to China in the second half of this year. The "China travel" boom stems from China's unique charm, and more importantly, an open and inclusive society, as well as the warmness and hospitality of its people. It is also a result of China's ongoing efforts to promote high-level opening up.

China will continue to embrace the world with open arms, inject new dynamism into the world with its development, and create more energy and enthusiasm for people-to-people exchanges between China and the rest of the world, he said.

There is so much to see and experience, and so many opportunities to share and turn into cooperation. We welcome more foreign friends to make China the destination of their next journey abroad, the spokesperson said.