Ranking the seventh on the Forbes list of most developed tourism cities on the Chinese mainland in 2013 - actually ahead of famed destination Suzhou - Tianjin is showing an increasing appeal to domestic and foreign tourists.
Statistics from the Tianjin Tourism Bureau show the city welcomed 2.65 million foreign tourists in 2013, up 13 percent from 2012. They generated $2.6 billion in revenue, a surge of 16.4 percent.
It is expected the number of foreign tourists to Tianjin will reach 3.7 million next year, according to the bureau.
It said the city's total tourism revenue will reach 300 billion yuan in 2015.
Tianjin has many exclusive holiday routes that entice visitors from both international and domestic markets.
The Ancient Culture Street in Nankai district and the western bank of the Haihe River are among the most popular.
The 687-meter-long pedestrian street has many quaint-looking stores like Clay Figure Zhang, which vividly showcases local life using painted clay.
Some of the city's historical bridges - such as Daguangming and Jiefang - cross the nearby Haihe River. Western-style buildings are clustered along the river.
But for those who love architecture, the most attractive area is the Fifth Avenue, which called "a world buildings expo".
In the southern part of city, it includes 400 Western-style buildings from the 1920s and 1930s when the area was a British concession.
According to the Tianjin Tourism Bureau, the old residences in Tianjin are also used in tourism, leading some owners to restore them and turn them into hotels.
The Shanyili Boutique Hotel is part of former Prince Qing's residence, which was built in 1922. He was a prince in the Qing Dynasty that ended in 1911.
Some 33 houses in the compound are open to the public, featuring elegant sophistication and comfort by combining traditional Chinese architecture with modern technologies.
"It is easy to find a Western-style restaurant in an old building in Tianjin's Fifth Avenue," said Scott Conorton, a French tourist who have a three-day trip in Tianjin.
The Italian Style Area, the former Italian concession that has a history of over 100 years, is a well-preserved old architectural cluster in Tianjin.
Yang Shihao, director of the Tianjin Tourism Bureau said local tourism authorities are also promoting industrial tours using the city's advantage as a traditional industrial hub in China.
The Tianjin Airport Economic Area and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area are the two major industrial tour sites.
"To date, Tianjin Airport Economic Area has already received more than 300,000 visitors from around the world. Industrial tours cannot be valued just by revenues. They are enlightening to teenagers and even adults. And some of the visitors might be potential investors in the area." said Bao Jian, an official of the Tianjin Airport Economic Area.
Among others, the Airbus general assembly plant in Tianjin attracts many tourists.
"It is so cool to watch the whole process of aircraft assembly ," said Xu Biyuan, a student from Tianjin No 4 Middle School.
The facility has assembled 156 Airbus jumbo planes over the past five years.
Many other enterprises also offer tours. Time-honored seasoning brand in Tianjin, Limin Condiment Co Ltd even allows visitors to participate in production.
