The 2023 China International Travel Mart kicks off in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on November 17, 2023 with institutes and enterprises from over 70 countries and regions participating. Photo: Lou Kang/GT

The 2023 China International Travel Mart opened in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province on Friday, with institutes and enterprises from over 70 countries and regions' participating in hope of boosting the international tourism recovery.

As the largest travel expo in Asia, the three-day event showcases innovation and opportunities for the development of international tourism.

China's new inbound travel policy was also published during the event, with the National Immigration Administration noted that starting from November 17, 2023, China will implement a 72/144-hour transit visa exemption policy for Norwegian citizens. As of now, China's 72/144-hour transit visa exemption policy has been expanded to include 54 countries.

"The Travel Mart is now the biggest and the most important event of its kind in Asia. This reflects how quickly tourism is growing in the region. It played a big part in helping China to recover from the pandemic. The numbers are already encouraging. And it is time to look ahead," noted Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, at the opening ceremony.

With a total of nine exhibiting halls, the 90,000-square-meter area has a variety of stalls from technological experience centers to exhibitions of intangible cultural inheritance of different countries.

After three years of the pandemic, many people have been hoping for rapid recovery of outbound tourism from China.

Jia Haihong, a member of staff from the Tahiti Tourism Bureau, told the Global Times on Friday that the number of Chinese tourists to Tahiti this year has surpassed those from Japan and South Korea for the first time.

"As a direct flight is going to be launched soon from Tokyo to Tahiti, more Asian tourists are expected to visit," said Jia.

Georgia is another popular destination for Chinese tourists, having become visa-free for China since September this year.

Staff from Caucasus Voyagers, a tourism agency in Georgia, told the Global Times that because of the opening of direct flights from Urumqi to Georgia, it only takes about six hours to arrive.

As one of the important ways to promote the development of the inbound tourism market, the 2023 China International Travel Mart is being cosponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the local government of Yunnan. It is being held at the Dianchi International Convention and Exhibition Center in Kunming.

Representatives from the tourism departments of eight countries, including South Africa, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as six organizations have arrived in Kunming to attend the meeting.

A total of 70 countries and regions and 892 international travel agents are participating.