Spring Cherry Blossom Tours Gain International Popularity, Fueling 209% Surge in Visa-Free Entries to Wuhan in March

In late March, Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Italy's Asti Province, who visited Wuhan for the "Yangtze Meets Po River: Charm of Hubei Carnival," took photos under the cherry blossoms at Wuhan University. (Photo by Shen Zaohui, Hubei Daily Media Group)

Recently, top American internet influencer "YourRage" has been livestreaming from major Chinese cities, attracting tens of millions of online viewers. On social media platforms, numerous foreign netizens have expressed their longing for "China Travel." As a significant window for the world to observe China, Wuhan has welcomed a large number of international tourists during the March cherry blossom season.
According to statistics from the Wuhan Immigration Inspection Station, in March this year, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport handled a total of 115,000 inbound and outbound passengers. Among them, there were 25,400 foreign nationals, accounting for over 22% of the total and representing a 38% increase compared to the same period last year. This means that, on average, one out of every five inbound and outbound passengers was a foreign national.
On December 17 last year, China's transit visa-free policy was comprehensively eased and optimized. Eligible nationals from 54 countries, including Russia, Brazil, the UK, the US, and Canada, transiting through China to a third country (region) can now enter China visa-free through any of the 60 open ports across 24 provinces (autonomous regions, and municipalities) and stay within designated areas for no more than 240 hours. For example, a US passenger traveling from the United States to Japan can stop by for tourism in Wuhan without needing a visa, provided the stay in China does not exceed 10 days. When departing China, they can choose any one of the 60 open ports, such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Wuhan.
Statistics show that in March this year, visa-free entries of foreigners through Tianhe Airport reached 8,100 person-times, a sharp increase of 209% compared to the same period last year.
What brings these foreigners to Wuhan? According to an official from the Wuhan Immigration Inspection Station, over 60% of the foreign passengers arriving in Wuhan in March were tourists, primarily from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Japan, and other countries and regions. These locations have direct flights to Wuhan, making convenient transportation a key reason for choosing Wuhan as their first stop in China. "Wuhan's cherry blossoms are renowned internationally. Travel agencies in Malaysia and Singapore organized numerous flower-viewing tours to Hubei in March, sometimes with nearly entire plane loads consisting of tour groups."
The appeal of "Spring Cherry Blossom Tours," the shortened时空distance thanks to direct flights, and facilitating policies like direct visa exemptions and transit without visa have made spontaneous trips to Wuhan a reality for foreigners.
"We were so excited to see Wuhan's cherry blossoms!" exclaimed Mr. Ross and his wife, Ms. Lang, from the UK, upon disembarking their plane on March 24. The couple was invited to Tsinghua University for academic exchanges. They chose to enter China via Wuhan because they learned about China's 144-hour transit visa-free policy. "Wuhan is located in central China, making it very convenient to travel to many places from here," they said. (Reporters Li Yuan, Correspondent Wang Luxuan)

Source：Hubei Daily