Singaporean tourists visit Taiyuan Old County Seat, a renowned attraction in Taiyuan, on June 3. [Photo by Zhao Lina for China Daily]

More than 100 tourists from Singapore arrived in the northern Shanxi city of Datong on June 1. This was the first overseas tourist group that Shanxi received after a three-year halt in inbound tourism since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out at the end of 2019.

This was also the result of a promotional tour made by Shanxi's tourism officials in Singapore on April 8. It came one week after China announced the resumption of overseas exchange visits by Chinese delegations of culture and tourism officials.

During the tour, Shanxi's officials held talks with their Singaporean counterparts. A Singaporean tourism company agreed to send tourists to Shanxi on June 1.

After their arrival in Shanxi as scheduled, the 106-strong group of Singaporean tourists paid visits to Datong's famed attractions like the Yungang Grottoes in the city's northwestern suburbs and the Xuankong – or cliff-hanging – Temple in neighboring Hunyuan county.

In the following days, their eight-day trip also covered such renowned destinations including the Jinci Temple and the Old Taiyuan County Seat in the provincial capital of Taiyuan; the Pingyao Ancient City and the Grand Courtyard of Qiao's Family in Jinzhong; the Hukou Waterfalls along the Yellow River in Linfen; and the Guandi Temple and Salt Lake in Yuncheng.

At the Old Taiyuan County Seat on June 3, the tourist group was welcomed by Shanxi's tourist officials and local business leaders. They were treated to a grand ceremony and a rich variety of local folk shows and food.

He Zhiyong, chairman of Shanxi Cordial International Tours, was among the welcoming hosts at the ceremony.

He was one of the members visiting Singapore in April and the deal for the group tour was reached between his company and Singapore-based Huayun Tourism.

"During the tour of Singapore, our delegation had talks with dozens of local travel companies, informing them of the new updates of the Shanxi tourism industry," He said. "We promised to offer top-notch services to our Singaporean guests."

At the ceremony, He said he hoped the tourists can have an impressive trip in Shanxi and share their stories with the fellow citizens when returning to Singapore. "We view Singapore as a bridge to link the tourism markets in Shanxi and Southeast Asia," the executive added.

As most of the members of the group are people with ancestral roots in China, the tourists were eager to digest everything relating to the local scenery, history and culture during the trip, said Li Liangyi, chairman of Singapore's Huayun Tourism, who was along with the group.

"Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Many members of the group have developed an attachment to Shanxi. The visit to Shanxi is like going home," he said.

"The eight-day trip has covered many landmark attractions in Shanxi," said one of the tourists. "But it is not enough."

Zhang Caiyun contributed to the story.