Inbound trips fly high in capital city

China's capital city received 1.66 million inbound trips, an increase of 245.6 percent compared to the same period last year, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism reports.

The bureau expects the number to reach 3.6 million by the end of the year, recovering to about 85 percent of the level in 2019, before the pandemic.

In the first six months, Beijing ports processed visa-free entries for 307,000 international tourists and issued 144-hour visa-free transit permits for 33,700 eligible inbound foreign travelers, representing an increase of 10.12 times and 7.24 times, respectively.

The authorities attributed the growth to improved measures in Customs clearance, airports, consumption and transportation services, as well as the increase in international flight routes to destinations as such as London, Osaka and Dhaka by industry players like Air China.

As of June 30, more than 98 percent of major tourism business operations in Beijing are able to process foreign bank cards, with hotels and scenic spots rated above four stars providing POS services for overseas bank cards.

The city is also home to more than 1,000 tax-free shops, ranking first nationwide, according to the bureau.