China's visa-free policy fuels surge in inbound tourism in 2024

Thanks to the expansion of China's visa-free policy and the enhancement of payment services, the country has received an increasing number of international visitors in 2024.

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Dec. 17 a significant relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers from the initial 72 hours and subsequent 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days. The move, effective immediately, also included 21 additional ports designated for visa-free entry and exit, and an expansion of the areas in which transit travelers can stay.

Foreign tourists enjoy a Hui Opera performance in Huangshan, east China's Anhui Province. (Photo/Shu Shaofei)

Under the updated policy, eligible citizens from 54 countries, including Russia, Brazil, Britain, the United States, and Canada, can enter China visa-free when transiting to a third country or region. These travelers can enter through any of the 60 ports across 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities and stay within the designated areas for up to 240 hours.

China has implemented a complete mutual visa exemption for 25 countries and issued a unilateral visa-free policy for 38 countries.

Liu Xiangyan, an associate researcher at the China Tourism Academy, said these unprecedented visa facilitation policies are a highlight of China's inbound tourism in 2024.

According to statistics, in the third quarter of this year, foreigners made 8.19 million inbound trips to China, up 48.8 percent year on year. Of that number, 4.89 million trips were facilitated by the visa-free policy, surging 78.6 percent year on year.

In the first 11 months, Chinese online travel agency Ctrip reported a nearly 120 percent year-on-year increase in bookings for inbound travel, with Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, the U.S., Thailand, Japan, Russia, Britain, Australia, and Indonesia being the main sources of tourists.

On another Chinese online travel platform, Qunar, international bookings for domestic flights this year almost doubled from a year ago, with strong demand from American, Russian, Canadian, South Korean, and Australian passport holders.

China's inbound tourism market has shown robust recovery this year, featuring more diverse tourism products. Tourism operators are rolling out innovative experiences that showcase the nation's traditional and modern culture, technological advancement, and local lifestyle.

A foreign tourist takes a selfie at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Chen Zhenhuang)

Hu Jiying, deputy general manager of CYTS International Travel. Co., Ltd., said the company has launched specialized products like city-walk tours, cooking classes, and Tai Chi lessons for independent foreign travelers, along with traditional Chinese medicine experiences, intangible cultural heritage activities and Peking Opera cultural programs.

China's multiple favorable policies implemented this year, including the guidelines to streamline payment services, have addressed problems in inbound tourism, making it more convenient for international tourists to travel in the country.

Ctrip's international platform Trip.com has offered ticket services for over 11,000 domestic scenic spots for inbound travelers and installed ticket machines that support multilingual services and multiple payment methods at about 40 scenic spots. The platform also provides travel guides in multiple languages, covering everything from entry procedures to local transportation, along with foreigner-generated content for 20 popular destinations for inbound tourists like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Zhangjiajie.