China’s tourism revival: Visa-free entry to over 70 countries fuels foreign arrivals; travel firms report booming post-Covid recovery

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China has considerably expanded its visa-free entry coverage, permitting residents from 74 countries to go to for up to 30 days and not using a visa. The transfer, aimed toward reviving inbound tourism and stimulating the economic system, has led to a pointy rise in foreign arrivals. Since late 2023, Beijing has steadily expanded the coverage, permitting short-term visits of up to 30 days for travellers from a lot of Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. As per the Associated Press (AP), greater than 20 million individuals entered China and not using a visa in 2024, greater than doubling the earlier 12 months’s determine and accounting for almost a 3rd of all foreign arrivals.“This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa,” stated Georgi Shavadze, a vacationer visiting Beijing from Austria, as cited by AP. Others, like Norwegian Øystein Sporsheim, welcomed the reduction from a number of embassy visits when travelling with youngsters.While the vast majority of footfall at vacationer spots stays home, the panorama is quickly shifting. Gao Jun, an English-speaking tour information in Beijing, was quoted by AP saying that he was “overwhelmed with tours” and had launched a coaching programme for aspiring guides to meet rising demand. Tour firms are additionally seeing a revival, Jenny Zhao of boutique travel company WildChina stated enterprise was up 50% from pre-pandemic ranges, with European travellers now making up 15–20% of purchasers, a steep rise from below 5% in 2019.Shanghai, certainly one of China’s high gateways, noticed 2.6 million abroad visits within the first half of 2025, a 44.8% year-on-year soar, with over half of them coming into visa-free, in accordance to native authorities.As per the South China Morning Post, Pudong International Airport dealt with 2.37 million foreign entries, topping nationwide rankings. In Beijing, 840,000 of 1.49 million foreign entries have been visa-free, whereas (*70*) noticed a 120% rise in such arrivals. Hainan, which permits visa-free travel for 59 countries, recorded almost 663,000 foreign entries, 89% below the scheme.Trip.com Group, a Shanghai-based on-line travel company, stated bookings for air travel and resorts in China doubled within the first quarter of 2025 in contrast to the identical interval final 12 months, with 75% of holiday makers coming from visa-exempt areas, in accordance to AP.The coverage’s attain continues to widen. On July 16, Azerbaijan will change into the seventy fifth nation to profit. About two-thirds of the nations at present included are below a one-year trial interval.For these exterior the scheme, together with travellers from the US, Canada and the UK, China gives a 10-day visa-free transit choice, supplied the journey includes onward travel to a 3rd nation. This choice applies at 60 designated ports of entry.James Liang, chairman of main travel agency Ctrip, stated inbound tourism had already recovered to 70–80% of pre-covid ranges and “could be fully recovered this year,” as quoted by Shanghai outlet The Paper. “If bottlenecks are tackled,” he added, “China’s inbound tourism could reach the world’s top tier in 10 or 20 years.”