"We watched the opening parade and local traditional dances, and also took part in the rice-field torch show. It was fantastic." George and Meg, tourists from the United Kingdom, recently made a special trip to Yuexi County, Liangshan Prefecture for the Torch Festival. What impressed them deeply was not only the unique oriental folk customs, but also the local authorities' efficient and well‑organized arrangements for tens of thousands of visitors, which ensured a smooth and enjoyable trip for them.

Nowadays, more and more inbound tourists embark on in-depth tours in Sichuan, immersing themselves in the charm of "Sichuan Ease".

From single-site sightseeing to diversified consumption

On the afternoon of July 30, an Air Macau flight landed at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. It was the first inbound flight from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions received by the international hall of Terminal 1 following its quality‑oriented upgrading.

Boasting distinct and appealing cultural and tourism resources, comfortable and convenient travel experiences, and a well-connected transport network, Chengdu, with multiple advantages combined, has become the "first stop" for a rising number of overseas tourists travelling in western China. According to comprehensive estimates, Chengdu received a total of 1.315 million inbound tourists in the first half of the year, marking a year-on-year increase of 33.6 percent. Suo Aili, Assistant to the General Manager of Sichuan Comfort International Travel Service, noted that overseas tour groups during this summer vacation mainly hail from Southeast Asia, and the 8-day tour covering Chengdu-Chongqing is a flagship product.

Walking through Chengdu's Taikoo Li, overseas tourists speaking various languages can be seen everywhere. Beyond experiencing the unique charm of this historic and cultural city, where time-honoured heritage intertwines with modern urban vibrancy, many overseas tourists are keen on shopping sprees.

At present, there are 734 departure tax refund stores in Chengdu, among which 283 offer the "instant tax refund" service. Sam, a tourist from Thailand, shared that during his trip to Chengdu, he specially arranged a must-visit stop — the POP MART Chengdu flagship store. Apart from purchasing collectibles for himself, he will also buy a batch of trendy toy keychains on behalf of his friends.

Key scenic spots keep boosting their appeal

Major scenic spots including Jiuzhaigou, Mount Qingcheng, Dujiangyan, Mount Emei, the Leshan Giant Buddha, and Bipenggou have kept upgrading services for inbound tourists, thus sustaining their strong appeal.

Walking into the Leshan Giant Buddha scenic spot, a transparent translation screen has been installed at the ticket counters of the north and south visitor centers, which supports real-time translation into 14 languages. Front-line staff are equipped with translation devices, and audio guide devices covering seven languages are available for visitors. A Chinese-English bilingual "Inbound Payment Map" has been launched for the whole scenic spot, with foreign-card POS terminals deployed across the site. The Impression of Giant Buddha Store at Jifeng Building within the Leshan Giant Buddha scenic spot provides the "instant tax refund" service upon departure. According to relevant officials of the Leshan Giant Buddha scenic spot, the scenic spot has cooperated with universities to build a multilingual service talent pool and set up multilingual service teams. Two foreign-visitor service stations have been put into operation to offer translation assistance, emergency coordination and other services. As of July 31, the Leshan Giant Buddha scenic spot had received 226,500 inbound tourists.

At present, self-service ticket vending machines for inbound tourists and multilingual audio guides have been widely rolled out at major scenic spots across the province. Thanks to upgrades to the ticketing system and facility renovation, Mount Emei scenic spot enables passport-based tickets to be sold simultaneously via official direct sales channels, travel-agent distribution networks, OTA platforms and on-site ticket windows. It has integrated payment options including UnionPay and Alipay, opened up payment access for foreign-owned accounts and streamlined verification procedures. Meanwhile, passport-based identity verification for entry is available throughout the site, eliminating bottlenecks across ticketing, payment and entry procedures.

During the summer vacation, scenic spots in western Sichuan have welcomed large numbers of inbound tourists. Sites such as Jiuzhaigou have become preferred for overseas tourists for summer getaways and sightseeing. Statistics from the Jiuzhaigou scenic spot administration show that from January to July 2026, Jiuzhaigou received a total of 272,000 inbound tourists, representing a year-on-year increase of 16.61 percent. For the 14 days starting on August 6, the number of pre-booked inbound tourist visits in the scenic spot has reached 3,515.

Bipenggou scenic spot is also a popular destination for tourists from Southeast Asia visiting China. Previously, Malaysian content creators Eethengee and Emiiicheow travelled to Bipenggou to admire snow-capped mountains and try grass-skiing. "Anyone who loves nature must come here. It boasts stunning mountains and waters, and every corner is ideal for photography!" They highly recommended Malaysian tourists to visit and enjoy the cool, pleasant climate and magnificent scenery.

Distinctive small towns draw growing numbers of overseas tourists

Since the start of this year, a host of distinctive small towns in Sichuan have rapidly featured on travel itineraries for overseas visitors.

In Anyue County, Ziyang City, precious grotto relics dating back to the Tang and Song dynasties are gaining international renown. Thai tour groups made a special trip here to appreciate stone carving art nestled amid mountains. In Pingwu County, Mianyang City, the natural and cultural offerings of the Wanglang National Nature Reserve and Bao'en Temple keep attracting a rising number of inbound tourists. At tea plantations in Ya'an, a group of inbound tourists experienced the unique lifestyle of Chinese tea gardens. Many local B&Bs have registered a notable surge in inbound tourist arrivals.

Leveraging unique cultural and tourism labels including "Secret Land of Shangri-La", Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has witnessed explosive growth in its inbound tourism market this year. In the first half of the year, the prefecture welcomed 194,100 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 48.85 percent. Its 115 A-level scenic spots received 125,100 inbound visitors, representing a year-on-year increase of 94.34 percent.

From snow-capped mountains on the plateau to plain grottoes, from trendy urban shopping to distinctive villages, Sichuan continues to attract tourists from around the world with its improved foreign-oriented supporting facilities, diversified cultural and tourism businesses and unique regional features. Tourists can enjoy the comforts of Splendid Tianfu amid natural scenery and authentic local life.