Foreign tourists try out local yogurt at a food market in Xining, Qinghai Province, on May 31, 2024.

Last year saw a robust increase in international visits to China due to the expansion of its visa-free policy, improvement in payment services, resumption of multiple direct flights, and construction of new infrastructure. As China is opening up wider to the world, more foreign tourists are flocking to the country. As a means of cultural exchange, tourism allows people to experience first-hand the openness, inclusiveness, safety, stability, and prosperity of China. This in the end helps the country to build up its international image and soft power.

A lantern show at the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai attracts tourists on July 8, 2023.

Expanded Visa-Free Policy 

One major factor behind the recent tourism boom is the increasing convenience of international travel due to China’s expanding visa-free policy. So far, China has reached full mutual visa exemption agreements with 25 countries, expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to 38 countries, allowing citizens from those countries to enter without a visa and stay for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, or other purposes, and permit visa-free transit for 54 countries allowing tourists from those countries to stay for a specified period of time while connecting to another destination.

On December 17, 2024, the National Immigration Administration announced extending visa-free transit stays in China from 72 hours and 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days. Twenty-one new ports were designated for visa-free entry and exit. And transit travelers can travel across in permitted areas in 24 provinces. This policy change has made traveling in China easier for international tourists.

Visa-free transit travelers are allowed to go to more areas. The visa-free transit policy is now applied to 60 ports in 24 provincial-level regions, compared with 39 ports in 19 provincial-level regions in the past. Transit travelers can visit both economically advanced areas, such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta region, Pearl River Delta region, and Chengdu-Chongqing region, and areas with rich tourism resources, abundant cultural heritage, and unique ethnic customs.

Longer visa-free transit stay enables foreign tourists to dive into local Chinese landscapes and culture. In a country which has a vast territory and rich tourism resources like China, foreign tourists could only give a passing glance at it when the visa-free stay was limited to 72 or 144 hours. The extension to 10 days gives them the chance to have an immersive experience of China’s natural landscape and cultural heritage.

Cross-regional travel is now allowed for visa-free transit travelers. This is the most notable development in the recent policy adjustment, and will boost both tourism and business travels.

A retired couple from Germany surnamed Glaus had long dreamed of taking a trip to China since their retirement, but postponed the plan due to complicated visa application procedures. Then in December of 2023, China announced a trial 15-day visa-free policy for several countries including Germany. The couple immediately jumped at the chance and made their first trip to China. After seeing the Juyongguan Great Wall in Beijing, they traveled to Shanghai, Suzhou, Chongqing, and Xi’an, where they were amazed by both the antiquity and modernity of this ancient country.

“The history, culture and architecture of Chinese cities are fantastic. The streets are very clean. We are also surprised by the Chinese railway system. The trains in China are better than the ones in Germany. They are punctual, clean, and fast,” the couple told CCTV.

East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, known as the No.1 commercial district in China, is a hot destination for foreign travelers because of its street art.

More International Flights 

Another contributor to the rise in inbound tourism is the resumption of international flights and opening of new ones. After the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control, China began implementing policies to promote tourism, consumption, and opening-up, and support Chinese airlines to reopen international routes that had been closed during the pandemic. They have produced remarkable results. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, as of December 15, 2024, the number of passengers on international flights departing and arriving in China exceeded 60 million, a year-on-year increase of more than 130 percent. This figure represented around 88 percent of the volume over the same period in 2019.

On May 11, 2024, China Southern Airlines’ inaugural CZ8031 flight took off from Shenzhen and arrived at the Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City, after flying over more than 14,000 kilometers in 16 hours. This was not only the first direct flight from China to Mexico after the pandemic, but also the first direct passenger route from China to Latin America after the pandemic, making traveling easier for people living in the two regions.

On July 13, 2024, Hainan Airlines launched the Beijing-Tijuana-Mexico City route, the first post-pandemic direct flight from Beijing to Mexico. These two flights – one taking off from southern China and the other from northern China – will play an important role in promoting cooperation between China and Latin America in the fields of economy, trade, culture, and tourism.

Since the beginning of the winter/spring flight season in late October 2024, China Eastern Airlines and the airlines affiliated to it have operated about 3,118 flights every day on average, an increase of 8.45 percent over the number during the same period in 2019. At present, the numbers of China Eastern Airlines flights to Europe, Oceania, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia all exceed those during the same period in 2019.

Visitors try their hand at herb processing at a traditional Chinese medicine culture park in Nanyang City, Henan Province, on September 26, 2024.

Better Services 

In addition to expanded visa exemption and simplified customs procedures, China is also working to provide international travelers with easier access to accommodation, dining, retail, and transportation. In March 2024, the State Council issued a document on further optimizing payment services, outlining measures that would facilitate all kinds of payment methods, including credit cards, cash, and mobile phone payment. Mobile payment is very popular in China, but had caused trouble for many international travelers until recently. Today, they can use WeChat Pay by linking bank cards in their home country with their WeChat accounts.

At a café in Houhai, a block packed with bars in central Beijing, an employee of a U.S. e-commerce company ordered a drink and scanned a QR code on his mobile phone to pay for his purchase. The young American came to Guangzhou for the China Import and Export Fair, then traveled to other Chinese cities for some sightseeing. It being his first trip to China, Malik did not know much about the country before he came, and worried about the difficulties he might encounter. These concerns were soon dispelled after he saw how convenient transportation, shopping and other aspects of traveling in China were. In Shanghai, for instance, he noticed that many taxis have point-of-sale terminals for foreign tourists who do not have mobile payment apps or who prefer to use bank cards.

In addition to convenient payments, Chinese cities and scenic spots have updated their facilities. In Beijing, all the agencies providing international services run multilingual websites. Well-known scenic spots, such as the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven Park, provide audio guide services in Chinese and English. These measures ensure foreign visitors have an enjoyable and comfortable experience in China.

China’s tourism industry is exploring new products and itineraries that introduce foreign tourists to Chinese culture, tech-empowered new life scenarios, and immersive experiences of urban and rural life.

At the Jinshanling Great Wall in Chengde City, Hebei Province, October 10, 2023.

Rich Tourism Resources 

The Beijing-headquartered travel agency CYTS, for instance, has launched City Walk and tours on specific themes, such as cooking, tai chi, traditional Chinese medicine, intangible cultural heritage, and Peking Opera. The Chengdu-based Great Way Tour has opened motorcycle routes across Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and other places, which are very popular among tourists from Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

An Algerian tourist who visited several Chinese cities, told China Tourism News, “China is a vast country with rich tourism resources. I can enjoy different types of natural scenery and experience different cultural customs here which are unimaginable in other countries. I will come back to China again in the future.”

With a civilization of more than 5,000 years, China has rich and diverse tourism resources that cater to different needs. Different regions have their own cuisines, from the spicy Sichuan food to mild Cantonese dishes. Also the prices are reasonable. Compared with other popular tourist destinations, traveling costs in China are lower, but the quality is high. Besides the profound historical and cultural heritage, the natural landscape is magnificent. From snow-capped mountains in the north to sprawling tropical rainforests in the south, China displays the beauty of different land types in various forms.

Inbound tourism has a positive impact on the economy, cultural exchange, and international relations.

It generates huge revenues as tourists spend on hotels, meals, transportation, and shopping, contributing to local economic growth. A recent report jointly released by the World Travel and Tourism Council and Oxford Economics predicted that the 2024 China's domestic travel spending would hit a record RMB 6.79 trillion (US $938 billion), 11 percent above the figure in 2019.

Traveling in China allows foreign tourists to directly experience the local culture. In Guilin City of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mexican vlogger Max Carrera and his wife Noelia roamed around its beautiful rivers and mountains, and attended a traditional wedding of the Miao ethnic group. “From the ornate costumes to the indigenous ceremonies, everything was awesome. The Chinese wedding was so different from weddings in our country. It was an unforgettable experience,” Carrera told Xinhua. Noelia shared videos of the wedding ceremony on social media platforms, and received 300 million clicks over 48 hours. Many people left messages after watching the videos, saying that they were impressed by China’s ethnic culture.

Inbound tourism allows China to present itself to people of other countries, enhance its international influence, and promote cultural exchanges. As international tourists travel across China, they can see and feel China as it is.

Many foreign bloggers post videos about their maiden visits to China on social media platforms, recording their surprise and admiration for the country. Some marvel at the extended high-speed rail network and the ubiquitous delivery services, while others are amazed by the modernity of big cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Many of these posts immediately go viral. These bloggers are joined by average tourists who also share about their stays in China online. Together the China-themed content they create has amassed one billion clicks. A common feeling shared among these foreign tourists is that China is very different from the many negative narratives about it presented in Western media and voiced by politicians. They had been anxious about what they would encounter while traveling in China, then they were surprised to find that it is safe and convenient and local people are hospitable.

The continuous increase in China’s inbound tourism can be attributed to a combination of factors. To maintain this momentum and achieve sustained development, China’s tourism sector needs to adapt to new demands, new competition, and new trends, resolving the problems that impede international traveling to and in China, including digital services. Also, more tourism products should be tailored for international visitors to enhance their experience in China.  

Dr. LI GANG is associate researcher and Oujiang distinguished professor at Wenzhou University. He currently works at the Chinese Cultural Center in Mexico.