China welcomed 9.215 million foreign travelers in the first three months of this year, up by 40.2 percent year-on-year, thanks in part to its new visa-free transit policy, Lin Yongsheng, a spokesperson for the National Immigration Administration, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Last December, China expanded its visa-free transit policy, increasing the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers from the original 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days.
The spokesperson said that since the implementation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, there are more and more foreign travelers coming to China.
Lin said 6.57 million of the foreign visitors, or just over 71 percent of the total number, entered China visa-free.
He said the 240-hour visa-free transit policy was an effective tool to spur inbound tourism to China.
"The policy of visa-free transit offers longer stays and a wider range of activities, meeting the diverse needs of foreign travelers, including short-term visits like 'heading to China for a weekend after work on Fridays' and more in-depth travel across provinces and cities. According to statistics, nearly 60 percent of foreign tourists to China choose to travel cross-regionally, effectively driving the continuous growth of the inbound tourism market. Since the policy was implemented, the number of inbound passenger flights has exceeded 100,000, a nearly 10 percent increase compared to the previous period. The number of foreign travelers to famous tourist cities like Huangshan, Wuyishan, and Zhangjiajie has increased by 21.6 percent year-on-year. 'China Travel' continues to be popular worldwide," he said.
China welcomes 9.215 million foreign travelers in first three months of 2025
