From this year, the country has implemented a visa-free entry policy for 38 countries for 30 days, and expanded the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to 37 ports and 54 countries, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Tian Hongman, deputy director of the Zhangjiajie bureau of culture, tourism, radio, television and sports, said the city welcomed a total of more than 786,000 international travelers in the first half of this year, up by 671 percent from the same period last year.

Tourism revenue from international travelers reached more than $218 million during the period, marking a year-on-year increase of 737 percent, she said.

The total number of foreign travelers is expected to reach between 1.3 million to 1.5 million for the whole year, she said.

Nie Senfeng, director of Zhangjiajie immigration inspection, said the number of foreign travelers arriving via international flights to the city has seen remarkable growth this year, with the highest daily entry being more than 3,000.