Xi'an becomes new 1st stop for foreign tourists visiting China

11月8日起，中国将对斯洛伐克、挪威、芬兰、丹麦、冰岛、安道尔、摩纳哥、列支敦士登以及韩国试行免签政策。在2024年11月8日至2025年12月31日期间，这些国家的持普通护照人员，如来华经商、旅游观光、探亲访友，且过境不超过15天，可享受免签入境的待遇。截至目前，中国单方面免签国家已将近30个。

Starting November 8, China will extend the visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and the Republic of Korea on a trial basis. From November 8, 2024, to December 31, 2025, ordinary passport holders from these nine countries will be exempt from visas to enter China and can stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes. To date, China has granted visa exemptions unilaterally to nearly 30 countries.

截至目前，中国144小时过境免签政策适用的国家达到54个，西安作为免签城市之一，也迎来了不少外国人“特种兵”式打卡。

The number of countries eligible for China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy has reached 54. Xi'an, one of the visa-free cities, has welcomed many foreign visitors.

西安的国际航班也在逐步恢复并持续“上新”，西安-巴黎直飞航线已经开通，还计划开通至日本名古屋、老挝万象、泰国清迈等多条直飞国际航线。

Xi'an's international flights are gradually resuming and being updated. The direct flight route from Xi'an to Paris has just been launched, and there are upcoming direct international flights to Nagoya, Japan, Vientiane, Laos, and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

免签政策及国际航班恢复等多重利好之下，入境中国的旅客人数大增。今年以来，西安口岸入境外国人已超10万人次，成为外国游客入境游首站新选择。

Due to favorable visa-free policies and the resumption of international flights, the number of international travelers entering China has significantly increased. Since the beginning of this year, over 100,000 foreigners have entered the country through the Xi'an port, making it a popular new entry point for foreign tourists.

携程旅行发布数据显示，国庆假期期间，陕西入境游订单量同比增长了152%，其中西安入境游订单量同比增长了151%，位列中国十大入境游热门目的地城市。

Data from Trip.com, a global travel service provider based in China, indicates that during the National Day holiday, inbound travel orders to Shaanxi increased by 152% compared to the previous year. Additionally, Xi'an saw a 151% growth in inbound travel orders, making it one of the top ten most popular inbound travel destinations in the country.

西安的入境客源国主要集中在韩国、美国、英国、新加坡等国家。携程研究院行业分析师王亚磊表示：“除了北上广深等热门入境游城市，成都、重庆、杭州、西安等更多城市也成为外国游客入境游第一站的新选择。”

The primary source countries for inbound tourists to Xi'an include South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Wang Yalei, an industry analyst at the Ctrip Research Institute, commented, "In addition to well-known tourist cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, other cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, and Xi'an have also emerged as popular first stops for foreign visitors."

2024年，多个外国旅游部门组织了媒体到西安进行考察活动，深入了解西安的旅游资源和文化底蕴。参与考察的媒体来自多个国家和地区，包括非洲、欧洲、亚洲等地的主流媒体和新闻机构。

In 2024, various foreign tourism departments organized media tours to Xi'an to better understand the city's tourism resources and cultural heritage. Leading media outlets and news agencies from Africa, Europe, and Asia participated in these tours.

在西安的各大景区中，秦始皇兵马俑博物院、大雁塔、西安城墙等著名景点成了外国游客的热门选择。今年4月，秦始皇帝陵博物院境外融合服务平台发布，外国游客在本国就可以线上预订门票、使用本币结算，到达现场后直接持护照排队进场。

Among the major attractions in Xi'an, the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and Xi'an City Wall have become popular destinations for foreign tourists. In April of this year, Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum launched an overseas service platform, allowing foreign visitors to book tickets online from their home countries, use their local currency for payment, and go directly to the entrance with their passports to queue for entry upon arrival.

截至目前，西安所有5A级景区都已实现刷外卡支付购票无障碍。例如西安城墙景区提升支付便利性，Visa、Master、银联等标识的境外银行卡持卡人，可在西安城墙景区12个城门售票窗口刷卡购票、快速入园。西安地铁、西安咸阳国际机场、西安火车站均可刷外卡支付，极大地方便了外宾的旅游消费。

All 5A-rated scenic spots in Xi'an allow purchases with overseas bank cards. For instance, at the Xi'an City Wall Scenic Area, visitors can quickly buy tickets and enter through the 12 gates of the city wall using overseas bank cards that display Visa, MasterCard, or UnionPay logos. Additionally, payments with overseas bank cards are accepted at the Xi'an Metro, Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, and Xi'an Railway Station, making it much easier for foreign visitors to manage their travel expenses.