WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign tourists are gradually returning to China as the country implements unprecedented visa policy relaxations. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a significant increase from previous regulations.
In a bid to boost tourism, stimulate the economy, and enhance its soft power, the Chinese government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry. According to the National Immigration Administration, more than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 — nearly one-third of the total and more than double the previous year’s figure.
“This really makes travel easier because getting a visa can be such a hassle,” said Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, during his recent visit to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven.
While domestic tourists still far outnumber foreigners at most tourist sites, travel companies and tour guides are gearing up for a larger influx of international visitors, particularly as the summer holiday season approaches.
“I’m swamped with tour requests and struggling to keep up,” said Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over two decades of experience. To meet the growing demand, he’s launched a new venture to train aspiring English-speaking tour guides. “I simply can’t handle all the requests on my own,” he added.
China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023 after lifting stringent COVID-19 restrictions. However, only 13.8 million people visited that year, less than half the 31.9 million who came in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.
In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. Since then, the list has expanded to include almost all of Europe. Last month, travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible, followed by four Middle Eastern nations. The total will reach 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan.
Approximately two-thirds of these countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis.
For Norwegian traveler Oystein Sporsheim, this change means his family can avoid the time-consuming and costly process of making two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for tourist visas. “The embassy’s limited opening hours made it much more difficult,” he explained.
“The new visa policies are a complete game-changer for us,” said Jenny Zhao, managing director of WildChina, a company specializing in boutique and luxury travel for international visitors. She reported a 50% increase in business compared to pre-pandemic levels.
While the U.S. remains their largest source market, accounting for about 30% of current business, European travelers now make up 15-20% of their clientele, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao. “We’re very optimistic,” she said, “and we hope these benefits will continue.” Trip.com Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, reported that the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Bookings for air travel, hotels, and other services to China doubled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, with 75% of visitors coming from visa-free regions.
Despite relatively close ties with China, no major African country is currently eligible for visa-free entry.
Visitors from 10 countries not included in the visa-free scheme have an alternative option: they can enter China for up to 10 days if they depart for a country different from their point of origin. This policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, as stated by the National Immigration Administration.
While the transit policy applies to 55 countries, most are already on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does, however, offer a more restrictive option for citizens of 10 countries not on that list: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
Apart from the UK, Sweden is the only high-income European country excluded from the 30-day list. Relations with China have deteriorated since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai to 10 years in prison in 2020. Gui vanished from his seaside home in Thailand in 2015, only to resurface months later in police custody in mainland China.
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