STORY: "China Travel" booms in 2024 with visa-free transit policy
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Dec. 23, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:23
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: ECONOMY/CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of China
2. various of travelers
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): POCKY, Thai blogger
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLGA ALEKSEEVA, Russian tourist
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): EBERT LEANDRA, German visitor
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): KELYAN OTHNIEL EDOU ENGONE, Gabonese tourist

STORYLINE:

Multiple organizations in China have released the most popular Chinese characters and phrases of 2024, offering insight into the evolving trends of the country and the world.

Among the recommendations, which are mostly in Chinese, the English expression of "China Travel" stands out, mirroring the country's inbound travel boom buoyed by a series of facilitation policies and measures for foreigners.

To welcome international visitors in the post-pandemic era, China has streamlined its visa application process, refined its immigration process to increase efficiency at border-control points, and made its payment services for international travelers more accessible and inclusive, among other efforts.
   
According to official data, China recorded nearly 29.22 million inbound foreign visits between January and November 2024, up 86.2 percent year on year. Of these, 17.45 million visitors entered the country visa-free, marking a massive 123.3 percent increase from the previous year. Notably, the number of visa-free transit travelers surged by 132.9 percent year on year.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): POCKY, Thai blogger
"I'm here at the most magical place in Chongqing to see how a light rail train runs through the residential building.
As a travel blogger, I think Chongqing is a special place, which is different from any other places I have been to. Travel has become very convenient since the mutual visa exemption agreement took effect."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): OLGA ALEKSEEVA, Russian tourist
"We came through the visa-free policy. It's super convenient to travel and to see around."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): EBERT LEANDRA, German visitor
"I really love traveling in China. It's my first time to be here, and I feel like all the people are so generous, so kind and so helpful. Even though I don't speak Chinese, everybody was trying to help me out when I couldn't find my way, or (when) I tried to order food or something like that. I really love the food as well. So China has been great."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): KELYAN OTHNIEL EDOU ENGONE, Gabonese tourist
"I would recommend anybody to come and visit China. I would recommend it to people who come here. See by yourself, and then form your opinion. Come and see."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)