China's tourism market has seen a surge following the announcement of an extended visa-free transit stay. Searches for inbound hotels and flight tickets have increased by 87 percent, while booking orders during the New Year's Day holiday surged fivefold.
On Tuesday, China announced a significant relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers from the original 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days.
Effective immediately, 21 additional ports have been designated for visa-free entry and exit, and the areas in which transit travelers can stay have been expanded, according to a statement from National Immigration Administration.
"I think the China visa policy for Germany or for your countries is really good. Because now I don't need to prepare so much time in advance. I can just go to China whenever I need to. So I think it's really a big improvement and a really big help for our company also our colleagues for coming to China often. They can really flexibly come and visit us," said Julian, a German tourist.
"Which is the great news because I worried whether I'd have enough time. Do I have time to do everything? But for now, I think people can travel easily for like five days or one week," said Alexandra, a Ukrainian tourist.
In response to the new visa-free policy, related tourism companies have adjusted their offerings, expanding departure points, broadening tourism coverage, and developing diverse inbound tourism products to meet the demands of international visitors.
"These measures allow foreigners to gain a comprehensive understanding of the culture and landscapes of Guangxi Province. It's also a great idea to add excursions to surrounding cities in the existing tourism products," said Jia Jingqi, a tourism agency manager in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
To support the implementation of this policy, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) has opened more inspection channels, offered multilingual services, and introduced new signs to ease entry for overseas tourists. Additionally, the NIA has collaborated with commerce, culture and tourism departments, and banks to offer a range of services aimed at enhancing the overall tourism experience. From Tuesday, some overseas wallets can now be used in China.
China recorded nearly 29.22 million inbound foreign visits between January and November 2024, up 86.2 percent year on year. Of these, 17.45 million entered the country visa-free, marking a significant 123.3 percent year-on-year growth.
Expansion of visa-free policy boosts tourism market
