Hong Kong tourists visit a museum in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province on March 4. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

The first Hong Kong inbound tour group since the COVID-19 epidemic arrived in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, on March 4, marking the beginning of a revival of inbound tourism to the city after a three-year hiatus.

During their visit, the tour group explored the China Yellow Rice Wine Museum where they learned about the local wine culture and brewing techniques, as well as enjoyed the taste of authentic Shaoxing yellow wine.

Over the next few days, the group will visit the former residence of Lu Xun (1881-1936), a famous Chinese writer, the romantic Shenyuan Garden, and immerse themselves in the culture of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

They will also visit Shaoxing's famous food street where they can taste local delicacies. The city's exquisite small bridges, winding streets, and ancient alleyways will give the tour group an unforgettable experience, said local tour guides.

Chinese tourism industry operators are demonstrating a bullish outlook toward the domestic, inbound, and outbound markets since the country revised COVID-19 control policies in January.

The China Tourism Academy presented an encouraging forecast that the number of domestic tourism visits will recover to 85 percent of that in 2019, and tourism-related consumption to 75 percent of its pre-pandemic levels this year. Inbound and outbound visits are projected to reach 40 percent of 2019 levels, a figure of 300 million.