CMG releases 2024 summer cultural, travel projects

The Chinese Global Program Center of China Media Group (CMG) released the 2024 summer cultural and travel projects in Beijing on Wednesday to promote China's appeal as a tourist destination to the rest of the world.

The 20 projects, covering programs about China's culture, history, tourist attractions, food, etc., will also tell the stories of reform and opening up in the new era and Chinese modernization.

In addition to helping more foreign tourists better understand China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy and providing them with more travel services, CMG's Chinese Global Program Center has partnered with cities where the policy applies and the Network of International Culturalink Entities to establish the "China Travel" new media section and create a new international communication platform for cultural exchanges.

CMG President Shen Haixiong attended the launch and jointly unveiled the projects with Vice Foreign Minister Deng Li, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism Rao Quan, CMG's Vice President Hu Jinjun, Secretary-General of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Zhao Zhimin and deputy head of the National Immigration Administration Liu Haitao.

During his speech, Deng said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued many policies over the past year or so to make it easier for foreigners to come to China, including extending a unilateral visa-free policy for 15 countries, including France, on a trial basis.

Meanwhile, according to Liu, the number of foreign tourists in China surged by more than five hundred percent in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period last year, and the figure is expected to increase further. He said the administration will take the opportunity to further facilitate foreign guests' arrival and departure.