随着越来越多来自世界各地的游客利用中国扩大的免签证政策来体验节日氛围，春节假期中国迎来一波入境游客潮，许多外国游客还探索了这个国家一些相对不太知名的地方。

在中国继续放宽签证政策以促进人文交流、允许更多海外游客和商业人士享受免签便利后，今年抵达的外国游客人数显著增加。中国一家旅游应用的数据显示，春节假期前5天，超过5500架次航班载着全球各地的游客来中国过年，比去年同期增加1400多架次。在线旅游平台携程预计，整个春节期间入境游订单总量同比增长203%。

从在西北部的新疆体验冰雪活动，到在中部的湖北省品茶，再到去东部浙江观看传统木偶戏表演……一系列丰富多彩的活动给外国游客留下深刻印象。一位来自亚美尼亚的游客说：“我听说很多关于中国茶马古道的精彩故事，我们决定在这里体验新年。我想邀请所有人来这里享受。”

这个春节期间，许多入境游客选择到访多个中国城市，希望尽可能多地打卡不同地方。相关调查显示，超过27.3%的来华外国游客至少游览过2个以上城市，而到访过3个以上城市的海外游客人数同比增加13.8%。许多国际游客充分利用中国高度互联的交通系统，包括其世界领先的高铁，尽可能多地游览中国。

游览风景秀丽的上饶市婺源县期间，外国游客们被多种多样的文化表演所吸引，包括传统的板龙灯表演。一名美国游客这样描述当地人，“他们很爱玩，渴望享受美好时光并与人们分享美好的经历。”

China has welcomed a wave of inbound tourists during the country's Spring Festival holiday as more visitors from around the world take advantage of expanded visa-free policies to soak up the festive atmosphere, with many also exploring off the beaten path in some of the country's less well-known destinations.

The Spring Festival is China's largest annual celebration and sees hundreds of millions of people across the country travel back to their hometowns or to other popular sites to celebrate the Chinese New Year, with this year's eight-day holiday concluding on Tuesday.

This year has also seen a noticeable increase in the number of foreign tourists arriving after China continued easing its visa policies to boost people-to-people exchanges, allowing more overseas travelers and businesspeople to visit the country visa-free. Its latest move in December saw an extension of its visa-free transit policy, which has permitted eligible foreign travelers from 54 countries to stay in the country for up to 240 hours without a visa.

During the first five days of the Spring Festival holiday, over 5,500 international flights arrived in China, some 1,400 more than the corresponding period last year, according to figures from a Chinese travel app. Meanwhile, China's leading online travel agency Ctrip also reported that the total number of inbound travel orders during the holiday is expected to grow by 203 percent year on year.

Data also shows that international visitors are becoming more bold in their travel choices and are moving away from megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as they are increasingly interested in exploring more niche destinations across the country.

Data from Tujia, a Chinese homestay booking platform, showed reservations made by foreign tourists has increased 2.3 times over last year's Spring Festival, with dozens of homestays located in rural townships receiving their first foreign visitors.

From experiencing ice and snow activities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to savoring tea in central China's Hubei Province, or watching a traditional puppet show in east China's Zhejiang, an array of diverse and colorful activities have also left a deep impression on foreign tourists.

"I heard a lot about great the Chinese tea road, and we decided to experience our new year here. I'd invite everyone to come and enjoy this place," said a tourist from Armenia.

During this Spring Festival holiday, many inbound tourists have opted to visit multiple cities as they look to maximize their trip and tick off as many places as possible.

According to a survey by China Unicom, a leading Chinese telecommunications operator, over 27.3 percent of foreign visitors to China have toured at least two or more cities, while the number of overseas tourists who visited three or more cities during their stay increased by 13.8 percent compared to the previous year.

Many international visitors have also been taking full advantage of China's highly inter-connected transport system, including its world-leading high-speed rail network, to see as much of the country as they can.

A group of foreign tourists said they visited several culturally-rich sites in east China's Jiangxi Province, including the provincial capital Nanchang and the city of Jingdezhen, which is known as the world's porcelain capital. During their trip to the scenic Wuyuan County in Shangrao City, the visitors were left spellbound by various cultural performances including the traditional bench dragon lantern parade -- a 300-meter-long folk celebration through the streets to mark the Chinese New Year. "They're very fun-loving and always eager to have a good time and share good experiences with people," said a tourist from the United States as he described the local people he encountered there.

A visitor from Australia also pointed to the ease of getting around after embarking on a multi-city adventure.

"You can travel more than five cities in 10 days, which really blew my mind," he said.