China Daily, October 16th: The latest data from the National Immigration Administration shows that during the National Day holiday this year, 682,000 foreigners entered the country, and 505,000 foreigners entered the country under the visa-free policy, an increase of 5.4% and 9.2% respectively over the same period last year.
Since the beginning of this year, the popularity of overseas tourists traveling to China has continued to increase, and "technology tourism" has become a new highlight of inbound tourism. As China's competitiveness in smart manufacturing fields such as electric vehicles and robots continues to rise, more and more overseas visitors are beginning to enter Chinese factories to observe at close range the latest progress in upgrading China's manufacturing industry. This type of visit has gone beyond pure tourism, and has more meanings of industrial inspection, business negotiation and even coming to China to "learn experience".
According to the US financial media Business Insider website, US Silicon Valley investors have frequently visited China in recent years to inspect smart manufacturing companies such as robot factories. Silicon Valley investor Ryan Cunningham said that he took his team to visit China not only to find investment opportunities, but also to let his peers understand the development level of China's manufacturing industry up close. "The reason I want to take them to China is because I want to grab them by the shoulders and say, 'Guys, if you want to get serious, this is what we should learn.'"
He said that in almost every investor group chat he is in, members are discussing recent or upcoming trips to China to assess China's strength in hardware and the competition faced by U.S. robotics startups.
Neil Mehta, a partner at the investment company G2, went to Shenzhen and Beijing with his colleagues earlier this year. "We knew that China was leading, but we didn't really feel it until we went there in person."
After visiting car companies such as Xiaomi and BYD, they spoke highly of Chinese electric vehicles: "The quality and workmanship fully meet all your expectations for luxury cars like Porsche, no exaggeration."
Participants in “Technology Tour” are not limited to professional investors. American travel bloggers Cara and Nate experienced unmanned delivery, robot restaurants, driverless cars and robot dogs during their journey from Shanghai to Beijing. They filmed their experiences into a video titled "China is Living in 2050", which quickly exceeded one million views. This kind of content is turning China’s daily technology experience into a new hot spot on overseas social platforms.
Foreign tourists not only come to China to see the scenic spots, but also start to include electronic product markets such as Shenzhen Huaqiangbei on their itineraries to China to experience AI products, smart devices and robot applications up close. Products such as AI translation glasses and smart watches have become new "hot commodities."
Shenzhen Huaqiangbei Electronics Market attracts an average of nearly 8,000 foreign buyers every day. Ulises Padilla, an 11-year-old Mexican tourist, said: "I came here to experience the best technology I have ever seen in the world. It's really great. There are no such drones in Mexico." Italian tourist Andrea Triboldi arrived in Shenzhen with a shopping list of more than 20 Chinese products, specifically to buy a DJI drone for his son.
Wu Liyun, a professor at the Chinese Culture and Tourism Industry Research Institute of Beijing International Studies University, said that the advantage of China’s “tech tourism” is that technology has been integrated into daily life on a large scale. Foreign visitors can take driverless taxis, experience drone delivery and service robots, and complete payment and admission via mobile phones. This transformation from traditional tourism to a combination of industrial inspections and technological experiences is allowing more international visitors to experience the strength of China’s innovation up close.
(Compiled by: Qi Lei)
