The previously nondescript city in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong became one of China’s hottest spots for domestic tourism last year thanks to its affordable and juicy skewered meat. They’re known as “special forces travelers” because, like soldiers, they move from one checkpoint to another under incredibly tight schedules, often over weekends or short holidays. For the first half of this year, 29.22 million foreign nationals entered and exited, according to the latest figures. But the flash-mob-style approach of “special forces travelers” – switching from one community to the next – has called into question whether that type of domestic tourism is sustainable in the long term. Pan Wenbo, also from Beijing, said his favorite spots included Xi’an, home of the Terracotta Warriors, and Datong, a northern Chinese city known for ancient Buddhist architecture - both offering more affordable accommodation and food.

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Persons: ” Zibo, Cici Li Yuetong, “, ”, Li, ” Li, Pan Wenbo, Jiumei, Yang ”, Yang, Mimi Li Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, National Immigration Administration, University, Cici, Warriors, China News Service, CNN, Labor, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Locations: Hong Kong, Zibo, Shandong, Beijing, China, Datong, Gansu, Tianshui City, Gansu Province, Weibo, Hong