International events, study tours drive Jiangsu's inbound tourism surge

(ECNS) -- As the summer holiday gets underway, Jiangsu is seeing a continued surge in inbound tourism, driven by international sports events and study tours, Nanjing Customs said on Friday. By the end of June, customs at Nanjing Lukou Airport had processed entry for over 110,000 passengers from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas, up more than 30% year on year.

International sports events and youth study tours have emerged as the two main drivers of inbound tourist flow growth in Jiangsu. In recent weeks, the province has hosted competitions including the 2026 Xuzhou Asian Sprint Triathlon Championships and the China Nanjing leg of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League have been held in the province, attracting a large number of overseas athletes and sports enthusiasts. The emerging "competition plus tourism" travel model has proven especially popular.

Jiangsu also offers a wealth of historical sites, museums and intangible cultural heritage. Since June, numerous primary and secondary school study tour groups from Hong Kong and Macao have arrived in Jiangsu for summer camps and study programs, with young people and families becoming a significant share of inbound visitors.

Overseas travelers, meanwhile, are shifting away from sightseeing check-ins to in-depth experiences.

Jiangsu has carefully curated cultural and tourism routes across the region, offering immersive performances, intangible cultural heritage experiences, rural leisure and night tours. To tackle long-standing frustrations for foreign visitors — payment difficulties, language barriers and logistics — the province is actively building a smoother and more welcoming environment.

These efforts are paying off in visitor spending, with departure tax refund business steadily rising. Data shows that in the first five months of this year, Nanjing Lukou Airport Customs processed 1,171 departure tax refund applications from overseas travelers, with a total value of 26.669 million yuan (about $3.93 million), up 173.6% in volume and 32.4% in value year on year.

(By Tang Yuxian)