China arrivals from five South American countries up 50.5% in visa-free year

One year after China introduced visa-free policies for five South American countries, positive feedback from travelers is beginning to emerge. Data released by Shanghai border inspection authorities on Monday showed that from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026, a total of 81,000 passenger trips from the five South American countries to China were made through Shanghai ports, up 50.5 percent year-on-year, China Media Group (CMG) reported.

Among them, nearly 70 percent entered China using the visa-free policy, according to the report, which noted that the measure is becoming a strong driver of the booming inbound tourism market.

To further facilitate cross-border travel, China decided to expand the scope of its visa-free policies by introducing a trial visa-free arrangement for ordinary passport holders from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay from June 1, 2025, to May 31, 2026.

Under the policy, ordinary passport holders from the five countries can enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange visits or transit.

CMG noted that in addition to leisure travel, business visits and economic and trade exchanges have also become major reasons for travelers from the five South American countries to visit China.

As the appeal of Shanghai's integrated development model combining culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions continues to grow, the city has in recent years hosted a growing number of international exhibitions and sporting events, creating high-quality platforms for economic, trade and cultural exchanges, per CMG. Closer economic ties have fueled rising interest among travelers from the five countries in visiting and experiencing China firsthand, with business exchanges and people-to-people interactions increasingly reinforcing one another.

China has steadily expanded its visa-friendly policies in recent years, with beneficiary countries increasingly reporting positive responses.

Since China introduced its visa-free policy for Russia on September 14, 2025, a total of 318,000 Russian travelers had entered China through Shanghai ports as of 12 pm on May 21, up 67.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Shanghai Municipal Office for Port Services. More than 90 percent of them entered China under the visa-free arrangement.

To further facilitate cross-border travel between China and Russia, the nation decided on May 20 to extend the visa-free policy for Russian nationals through December 31, 2027. Under the policy, ordinary passport holders from Russia can enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange activities or transit.

In addition, the latest data showed that the number of South Korean visitors traveling to China reached 2.66 million in the first quarter of this year, up 24.1 percent year-on-year, according to Shanghai Observer's report on May 6.

Amid an initiative to achieve wider opening-up, China introduced in 2024 and extended in November 2025 a unilateral visa-free policy for South Korean passport holders. The measure, which allows stays of up to 30 days for tourism, business and family visits, has lowered a major barrier for short-term travelers and content creators from South Korea.

The value of regional tourism cooperation is expected to emerge alongside the expansion of visa-free policies, accelerating the development of tourist exchanges, air connectivity, and cross-border multi-destination travel, Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times.

Experts said China's improving convenience measures for foreign visitors, coupled with more tailored tourism offerings, will further unlock inbound travel demand and deepen people-to-people exchanges.