Visa-free measures spur surge in visitors

China saw some 40.6 million foreign nationals enter through its ports over the past year, a 27.2 percent year-on-year increase, according to the latest statistics released by the National Immigration Administration on Thursday.

In particular, the number of travelers utilizing the 240-hour visa-free transit policy surged 60.8 percent compared with the period before the policy was optimized.

Officially implemented on Dec 17, 2024, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy applies to citizens of 55 eligible countries, covering 65 open ports across 24 provincial regions in China. It unified and extended the previous 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit options to 240 hours, with Indonesia being added to the list of eligible countries on June 12, 2025, and five new ports being incorporated on Nov 5.

Among the open ports, those in Beijing recorded more than 3.4 million foreign arrivals, with 55 percent of those travelers enjoying the visa-free convenience. Shanghai saw nearly 5.35 million inbound foreign visitors, 56 percent of whom benefited from the policy, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province handled more than 3.2 million foreign entries, with over 57 percent of passengers opting for the visa-free transit service.

To facilitate the policy, major hubs have launched "one-stop processing" and online declaration services.

In Beijing, the average waiting time for each foreign traveler has been reduced by 15 minutes, and multilingual service teams have been organized to provide guidance and consultation services for foreign passengers.

The policy has significantly enhanced China's appeal in terms of tourism and business activities. The 10-day stay allows for in-depth and inter-provincial travel, while providing ample time for business inspections, negotiations and conferences, thus optimizing the business environment.

Arjun Dev Grover, a traveler from the United States, shared his experience of visiting China last week. "I was learning Chinese at the time, so I wanted to go to China. However, my vacation time was limited," he said. After searching online about how to apply for a Chinese visa, he found out about the visa-free policy.

"This is perfect — it's too good to be true. Since my stay in China was under 10 days, I didn't have to pay anything for the application process," he said, adding that China's modern infrastructure, friendly locals and safe, clean environment all left a strong impression on him.

Data from Qunar.com, one of China's leading travel platforms, showed that bookings of domestic flights by foreign passport holders rose 20 percent year-on-year in 2025, covering 175 destination cities. Smaller cities such as Datong in Shanxi province and Yichun in Jiangxi province saw over 300 percent growth in the number of foreign visitors. Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the US were the top source countries for such bookings.

Zeng Liangliang, a 20-year veteran tour guide based in Xia-men, Fujian province, said that driven by the visa-free policy, the number of foreign tourists visiting major cities in China has surged multiple times. In Xia-men, more people are coming for family visits and conferences.

yangzekun@chinadaily.com.cn

Zhang Yi in Fuzhou contributed to this story.