Chongqing - In recent years, as the global tourism market gradually recovered, "going to China after work on Fridays" has become a new trend in international tourism, with tourists from around the world flocking to major cities in China.

During the 2025 Two Sessions, Dai Bin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the China Tourism Academy, suggested focusing on the needs of foreign tourists and developing key cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Chongqing as first-stop destinations for inbound tourism. Among these, Chongqing has stood out in the inbound tourism market due to its unique advantages and proactive measures, which have drawn significant attention.

Chongqing, the first city for Southeast Asian tourists

On March 13, the "Train to Spring" at Chongqing Liziba Station attracted many tourists who came to take photos and check in. One of them was LINA, a girl from Thailand. This was her first visit to Chongqing, and her travel list was filled with local food and scenic spots. In Ciqikou Ancient Town, foreign tourists like LINA are everywhere, with the largest group coming from Southeast Asia. Pawan, from Malaysia, asked the tour guide to take her to the Pop Mart trendy doll store she had seen on TikTok, where she could buy Chinese limited-edition dolls.

"A Train to Spring" runs along Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT) Line 2 in Chongqing, southwest China. (Photo/Tang Yi, Xinhua)

Chongqing is very popular in the Southeast Asian tourism market. According to data from the Ctrip platform, since March of last year, the number of tourists from Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam has increased by about three times year-on-year. The number of tourists from Singapore has risen more than six times, and the number of tourists from Malaysia and Indonesia has grown more than ten times.

According to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, the city received 1.27 million inbound tourists last year, an increase of 183.6% year-on-year. Southeast Asian countries have become the largest source of inbound tourists to Chongqing. Additionally, Chongqing ranked third in the "2024 China City Influence List for Inbound Tourism" released by the European Times and was among the top ten cities in multiple tourism lists released by Ctrip.

On the way to become the first-stop city for inbound tourism

Lin Hai, International Marketing Director of Chongqing Century Cruises, believes that the landscape city, the magnificent Three Gorges, and the colorful Wuling are the three core products of Chongqing. As the world's largest landscape city, Chongqing perfectly integrates landscape with humanities, and modernity with the city, forming a rich system of urban tourism products. The title of "8D Magic City" is well-known around the world.

In recent years, Chongqing has made every effort to create classic in-depth tour products in the Three Gorges International Golden Tourism Belt and promote the integrated development of the "Great Three Gorges" tourism. With colorful customs, Wuling is an important ecological protection area in the country. Chongqing promotes the construction of an experimental zone for cultural, and ecological protection to fully display the beauty of mountains, rivers, and the humanities.

Wushan Little Three Gorges - Mini Three Gorges Scenic Areas. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)

Jin Bo, general manager of CCTE Co., Ltd. of South Korea and Chongqing Huanjing International Travel, pointed out that Chongqing has a superior geographical location and is located in the "heart of Eurasian aviation." In the golden "five-hour flight circle" of cross-border travel, Chongqing's direct flights cover many large Southeast and Northeast Asian cities. At the same time, Chongqing's soft culture, such as spicy hot pot, film and television dramas, etc., are deeply loved by young people in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, adding consumption vitality to inbound tourism.

Promoting the internationalization of tourism

A relevant person in charge of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development said that Chongqing will use business model innovation as a breakthrough point to promote the supply of high-quality cultural and tourism products. At the same time, Chongqing will continue to implement the "Attracting Tourists to Chongqing" plan, improve the supporting services for receiving inbound tourists, and enhance the convenience of inbound tourism; strengthen cooperation with overseas institutions such as the China Cultural Center in Madrid, jointly plan tourism projects, and participate in international tourism exhibitions; deepen the Southeast Asian market, and promote the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Tourism Cities Cooperation Alliance headquarters and the Tourism Malaysia Office in Chongqing.

In addition, Chongqing has also issued incentive measures to support market players in expanding foreign source markets. The measures will reward travel agencies that organize inbound tourists to Chongqing to a certain scale and whose accommodation meets the requirements. The maximum reward for a single travel agency is 200,000 yuan.

Luo Zibo, chief expert of Yangtze River Tourism Research Base of China Tourism Academy, said that the current inbound tourism market in my country is showing new trends such as individualization and personalization. To build Chongqing into the first-stop city for inbound tourism, it is necessary to develop products that meet the needs of the international market and strengthen the awareness of quality products; in terms of infrastructure and service management, it is necessary to provide multilingual guide services, establish an international payment system, and build activities that meet international standards; in terms of brand building and marketing, it is necessary to formulate targeted strategies to improve international visibility and reputation.

(Wang Shuyun, as an intern, also contributed to this report)