(Yicai) Nov. 9 -- More and more foreign travelers visiting China choose to explore smaller tourist destinations in addition to mainstream attractions.

Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in China’s central Hunan province welcomed 240,700 overnight foreign tourists who spent over USD100 million in the first three quarters of the year, according to data from the local statistics bureau. These compare with 335,700 inbound tourists, with total spending of USD130 million last year.

China registered more than 11.6 million foreign entries in the third quarter, up nearly 16 percent from a year earlier, the National Immigration Administration said on Oct. 20. Among them, nearly 9 million entered the country visa-free, up 24 percent in the period and accounting for 78 percent of the total.

Furong in Yongshu county, Hunan province, has added English-language signs and displays at its high-speed rail station and equipped its staff with smart translation devices to better serve foreign tourists visiting the ancient hillside town built on a waterfall and famous for its traditional courtyard architecture and mountainous scenery.

Zhangjiaje, famous among foreigners for its ‘Avatar mountains,’ relies heavily on tourists from South Korea, but other overseas tourists are also gaining interest. While South Korea remained its main source of visitors, travelers from Europe and the United States surged 260 percent from the previous year, with those from France, Spain, and Italy up 636 percent, 723 percent, and 915 percent, respectively.

Guilin and Chongzuo in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Zhangjiajie and Xiangtan in Hunan, and Urumqi and Yili in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region all saw foreign tourists grow over 50 percent during the National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7 from a year earlier, according to data from China Mobile.

Meanwhile, foreign visitor traffic in key commercial districts of Chinese first-tier cities rose 38 percent in the first eight months of the year from a year ago. Shanghai’s Middle Huaihai Road and the Bund, Shenzhen’s Longhua district, Beijing’s Sanlitun, and Guangzhou’s Tianhe Road were the most popular commercial districts for foreign tourists.

The Yiwu International Trade City in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, remains hugely popular, drawing droves of overseas merchants and tourists in search of goods. Visitors from around the world can shop there in one stop while experiencing new consumption trends, such as artificial intelligence customization and smart trendy toys, getting a feel for the vitality of Chinese manufacturing.

Editor: Futura Costaglione