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The upgraded visa-free entry policies for foreign nationals implemented since last year have significantly boosted "China Travel", generating massive traffic both online and offline. In the first half of this year, Sichuan's Chengdu ports recorded a total of 385,400 inbound foreign visitor arrivals, marking a 58 percent year-on-year increase. During the first nine days of the summer travel season, Chengdu's aviation ports recorded over 13,000 inbound foreign passenger arrivals, representing a 61.4 percent year-on-year surge, further fueling China's booming inbound tourism market.

Amid this tourism boom, a new professional niche has emerged—the Inbound Travel Designer. Chengdu resident Qin Mao pioneers this innovative career path. He was originally studying abroad. Detecting this emerging opportunity, he returned to China and founded an inbound travel curation company, becoming one of the trailblazers in this industry. What are the differences between inbound travel designers and traditional tour guides? What is the career outlook? On July 15, the reporter joined Qin Mao for a day to discover the answers.

Multi-Skilled Edge: Expertise, Coordination and Jet Lag Resilience

On July 15, at the Jinli scenic area in Chengdu, the reporter accompanied Qin Mao through its labyrinthine alleys as he scouted for potential partner merchants. "I'm not a tour guide—what I do goes far beyond that," Qin Mao remarked briskly, his rapid-fire speech matching his swift stride in the alleyways. While speaking, he frequently picked up his phone, typing responses in English to international tourists or sending Sichuan-dialect voice messages to colleagues. "My team and I are constantly on the move—our office often sits empty as most communication happens online. With international travelers across time zones, I'm regularly responding to messages at 2 or 3 AM," he explained.

Opening his schedule, Qin Mao carefully counted the days—his entire July was packed without a single day off. "This isn't even the peak season yet. The real surge for Chengdu's inbound tourism runs from September through April of the following year," he noted. With just one year in the field, Qin Mao has already become a seasoned expert in this niche.

Inbound travel designers must multitask in versatile roles, crafting personalized and captivating China itineraries tailored to international visitors' needs and preferences. They continuously refine travel arrangements to deliver optimal tourism experiences. According to preliminary statistics, nearly 100 professionals in Chengdu are now engaged in this emerging occupation.

"This year's inbound tourist numbers have surged noticeably compared to last year," Qin Mao observed. "Besides visitors from Europe and America, we're seeing strong demand from Southeast Asia—particularly group tours from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand." He noted foreign travelers' growing fascination with both China and Sichuan, recounting an anecdote: "Just last week in Ya'an, a group of Thai tourists even bought tea farmers' hats!"

Social media serves as the primary client acquisition channel for inbound travel designers, where they position themselves as "China-savvy, experience-driven local insiders" to convert potential tourists into booked clients. Many international travelers arrive with meticulously researched itineraries and a clear vision for their journeys, Qin Mao said, and they place exceptional value on the travel experience. Take dining experiences as an example: Foreign visitors to Sichuan exhibit diverse culinary interests—some seek out local markets for fresh ingredients, others request master classes in Sichuan cooking techniques, while many simply crave authentic street-food adventures. "This is where we customize dining plans for each traveler's unique preferences. It would be even better if we could offer foreign tourists a taste of authentic local lifestyle experiences," Qin Mao explained. To perfect this culinary curation, he and his colleagues specifically consulted veteran foodies and Sichuan-cuisine chefs.

Most international travelers Qin Mao works with are first-time visitors to China. In his view, apart from financial returns, this profession serves as a vital showcase of China's development and urban landscapes to foreign tourists. "We're selling unforgettable 'temporary local' experiences that foreign visitors willingly invest in."

Field-Tested Insight: Mastering Multidisciplinary Expertise with Meticulous Service

Sichuan has seen a substantial rise in international tourist arrivals, fueled by factors such as China's expanded 240-hour visa-free transit policy and the global buzz surrounding The World Games 2025 Chengdu. To capitalize on this inbound tourism surge, Sichuan Province and Chengdu Municipality have rolled out comprehensive policy packages since last year, systematically enhancing services for international visitors, including offline payment solutions, departure tax refunds, and experience evaluation systems. At Chengdu's aviation ports, the implementation of smart devices and "dual pre-check" luggage screening enables inbound passengers to clear customs in as fast as five seconds. Meanwhile, the one-counter processing for outbound customs declaration, health quarantine, and departure tax refund procedures has also made the outbound journey more convenient.

"As the global tourism industry recovers and the cross-border travel demand grows, inbound travel designers, who are professionals in a niche area of the tourism industry, have a career prospect worthy of attention," said Wang Hongliang, Dean of the School of History, Culture and Tourism at Sichuan Normal University. He added that although digital tools have boosted industry efficiency, the demand for human-centered services still persists.

"For inbound travel designers, fluent foreign languages are a basic skill. Additionally, they need to understand the cultures of various countries, be well-versed in local customs, cultural heritage and history to facilitate mutual understanding among different cultures, and possess strong coordination, communication, resource-integration and marketing abilities, so as to gain a firm foothold in this blue ocean." Wang Hongliang stressed that this emerging profession brings a sharper focus to talent development. "Tourism curricula should now incorporate specialized knowledge such as area studies and consumer psychology. This would enable better empathy and resonance with tourists."

As the interview drew to a close, Qin Mao disclosed his "secret formula" for the job: in this line of work, the more meticulous the service, the more profoundly international visitors perceive our sincerity.