On a four-day transit to Beijing, two siblings from Poland who visited several places said they were very impressed by China after experiencing the city's advanced services for foreign tourists.
"We noticed we could pay with cash, card, or by scanning a QR code, and we were surprised to learn that facial recognition could also be used for payments," said Dagmara Paszkowska, who was visiting China with her brother Norbert.
As soon as foreign visitors arrive at the city's two major airports — Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport — they will see Beijing Service counters, which are part of a new mobile payment and travel and transportation initiative that was launched on Jan 1 to facilitate visitors from abroad.
The Chinese capital's launch of the Beijing Service counters at the airports coincides with a surge in international arrivals propelled by China's extended visa-free policies, which offer transit visa-free access to travelers from 54 countries and exempts passport holders from 38 countries from needing visas for short stays.
Wang Hongyan, deputy head of the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism's external exchange and cooperation department, said at a news conference on Monday that a daily average of 252 foreign nationals now enter Beijing with a temporary 240-hour entry permit. Before the policies were extended, the maximum stay with such a permit was 144 hours.
In 2024, Beijing recorded 3.94 million inbound visits, up 186.8 percent year-on-year. The city's tourism foreign exchange income reached $4.91 billion, an increase of 151.7 percent year-on-year, according to the bureau.
"We have been making efforts to improve the foreign visitors' overall experience in the city, including customer service, transportation, accommodations, sightseeing, shopping and payment," Wang said. "More service improvements will be carried out in Beijing, and we expect a 5 percent increase in inbound tourists in 2025."
At the international arrival zones at Beijing's two international airports, Beijing Service counters provide foreigners with one-stop service for a range of financial, communication, transportation, culture and tourism needs.
Some foreign visitors say they are amazed by China's convenient digital payment system, though they are not familiar with it upon their arrival.
The counters also offer assistance with cash withdrawals using foreign bank cards and currency exchange, and staff members can help visitors download mobile payment apps.
In addition, foreigners at the airports can purchase a Beijing Pass, which is a versatile, rechargeable transportation card issued by the Beijing municipal government. Cardholders can not only use public transportation services in 300 cities, but can also use the pass in designated commercial, cultural and tourism areas.
According to the bureau, up to 39,000 Beijing Pass cards have been issued to foreign visitors since the program's launch in July.
To better introduce Beijing's traditional culture, the city now even offers free half-day trips to international transit passengers at Beijing Capital International Airport, according to the bureau.
Katia Houle, a representative for Trip.com, a travel platform, said that Beijing Express, a service that the company launched on Dec 27, enables visitors to register for free tours in the city.
"We offer free tours every single day. You sign up on the spot, and our tour guides are there," she said.
The first tour, which runs from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm, offers a direct trip from the airport to the Bada-ling section of the Great Wall and then returns to the airport. The second tour, from 1:30 pm to 9:00 pm, takes visitors downtown, where they visit the Temple of Heaven and pass Tian'anmen Square before returning to the airport.
Recently, other Chinese cities, including Shanghai, have also attracted thousands of foreign visitors due to the visa-free policies. In recent months, for example, an increasing number of South Korean visitors have flocked to Shanghai because of the low flight ticket prices and the short flight distance.
"I love the Shanghai style, which is fancy and modern," one South Korean who visited Shanghai last week posted on social media. "I went to several sightseeing spots in the city and tried delicious cuisine."
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