Starting from May 15th last year, foreign tourist groups who come to China by cruise ship and are received by domestic travel agencies can enter China without visas from 13 coastal cruise ports. After nearly a year of continuous fermentation, this favorable policy achieved explosive growth in "cruise inbound tourism" in the first quarter of this year. In the first quarter of this year, Xiamen Port welcomed 5 cruise ships visiting the port, receiving nearly 3000 foreign tourists in total. More than 30% of the passengers entered through Xiamen Port and exited through ports in other provinces and cities, highlighting the cross regional linkage effect. In the first quarter of this year, the total number of tourists received in Fujian Province was 153 million, with a total tourism expenditure of 209.95 billion yuan, an increase of 14.2% and 15.5% year-on-year, respectively. According to statistics from Xiamen Gaoqi Border Inspection Station, there will be 14 home port cruise routes departing from Xiamen to countries and regions such as Japan and the Philippines this year, as well as 3 international visiting port cruise routes arriving in Xiamen. Australian traveler Josie: We took a boat from Vietnam to Xiamen and will continue on to Shanghai. As I am a travel agent in Australia, I will be flying back to Melbourne upon arrival in Shanghai. I think the visa free policy is great, many of my clients have come to China. In addition to the 240 hour visa free transit policy, the visa free policies for Japan and South Korea have also made Shandong a popular check-in destination for entry. Since the implementation of the policy, taking a liner to China has been highly welcomed by Korean tourists. According to data from the Shandong Border Inspection Station, there were 84000 Korean tourists who entered the country without a visa in the first quarter, accounting for 83.1% of the total number of foreign tourists who entered without a visa. More than 12000 cruise passengers and crew members were inspected and released, a year-on-year increase of about 180% compared to the first quarter of 2024. On April 1st, Shandong welcomed the largest Korean inbound tourism group of the year, with nearly 400 tourists from the Korean Walking Association entering through Weihai, Shandong, and embarking on a three-day "travel with the event". Chen Xiao, Director of the Border Inspection Department at Shandong Border Inspection Station and Qingdao Border Inspection Station: On the evening of April 10th, the "Aida Modu" cruise ship, carrying more than 6400 passengers and crew members, completed customs clearance and departed for Fukuoka, Japan and Jeju Island, South Korea. Combined with the daily inbound passenger flow, the daily number of inbound and outbound passengers at Qingdao Cruise Home Port has exceeded 10000 for the first time, setting a new record since the operation of the cruise home port in 2015. Shenzhen Shekou, also known as' coming to China by cruise ship ', continues to be popular. In the first quarter, the Shekou border checkpoint released more than 10000 people who entered and exited China by cruise ship. On March 15th, China's first independently operated luxury cruise ship, Gulangyu, docked at Shekou Cruise Home Port. It is the first international cruise ship to enter Shenzhen in 2025, and large cruise ships such as Pacific World and Aida Mediterranean will continue to dock in Shenzhen in the future. The impressive results of cross-border tourism in Guangxi and Yunnan in the first quarter were learned from the press conference of the National Immigration Administration on the 15th that the implementation of the "visa free entry policy for tourist groups from ASEAN countries entering Xishuangbanna, Yunnan" in the first quarter has made Xishuangbanna and other places popular destinations for inbound tourism from ASEAN countries. In recent days, the Water Splashing Festival in Yunnan is being held with great enthusiasm, allowing foreign visitors to experience the liveliness and vitality of traditional Chinese festivals. During the Water Splashing Festival, water splashes and drum music resound along the banks of the Lancang River. Tourists from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and other countries and local Dai people splash water together to exchange blessings, participate in water lantern prayer ceremonies, and blend into the joyful elephant foot dance and traditional Dai song and dance. Special activities such as the 10000 person water splashing carnival and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions have become important windows for ASEAN tourists to immerse themselves in national culture. According to statistics from Mohan Border Inspection Station, the peak number of daily arrivals during the Water Splashing Festival reached 9300, setting a new historical high. Laotian tourist: I came to China to experience the Water Splashing Festival here and felt very happy. I feel it's very convenient to pass customs here now, and I really like China. Guangxi is also a hot spot for short distance cross-border tourism. At Dongxing Port, the land port with the largest passenger flow to Vietnam in China, there are large numbers of tourists waiting for customs clearance from 8am every morning. According to statistics from Dongxing Border Inspection Station, in the first quarter, there were over 2.11 million people entering and exiting through Dongxing Port, including more than 2700 Vietnamese tourist groups, and 22000 Vietnamese tourists who entered China through Dongxing Port for sightseeing. (New Society)