China’s Tourism Boom: Visa-Free Entry Attracts More Visitors

China has simplified travel for tourists. Now, citizens from 74 countries can visit China without a visa. They can stay for up to 30 days. This change aims to boost tourism and strengthen the economy.

Increase in Tourists

Since late 2023, China has been expanding this policy. It allows short visits for travelers from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. In 2024, over 20 million people visited China without a visa. That’s more than double the number from the previous year.

Tourist Experiences

Tourists appreciate the new policy. Georgi Shavadze from Austria said, “This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa.” Øystein Sporsheim from Norway agreed. He was glad to avoid multiple embassy visits when traveling with children.

Tour Companies Benefit

Tour companies are also seeing positive effects. Jenny Zhao of WildChina, a boutique travel agency, reported a 50% increase in business compared to pre-pandemic levels. European travelers now make up 15–20% of their clients, up from under 5% in 2019.

Top Destinations

Shanghai, one of China’s main entry points, saw 2.6 million overseas visits in the first half of 2025. That’s a 44.8% increase from the previous year. Over half of these visitors entered visa-free.

• Pudong International Airport handled 2.37 million foreign entries, the most in the country.
• In Beijing, 840,000 of 1.49 million foreign entries were visa-free.
• Chengdu saw a 120% rise in visa-free arrivals.
• Hainan, which allows visa-free travel for 59 countries, recorded nearly 663,000 foreign entries. 89% of these were under the visa-free scheme.

Expanding Opportunities

The policy continues to grow. On July 16, Azerbaijan will become the 75th country to benefit. About two-thirds of the nations included are under a one-year trial period.

For those not covered by the scheme, including travelers from the US, Canada, and the UK, China offers a 10-day visa-free transit option. This applies if the journey involves onward travel to a third country and is available at 60 designated ports of entry.

Future Outlook

James Liang, chairman of leading travel firm Ctrip, is optimistic. He said inbound tourism has already recovered to 70–80% of pre-COVID levels. It “could be fully recovered this year.”

He added, “If bottlenecks are tackled, China’s inbound tourism could reach the world’s top tier in 10 or 20 years.”