China's visa-free policy pays dividends as overseas entries soar in 2025
Shanghai, the country's financial hub, saw 2.6 million visits from abroad in the first six months of 2025, up 44.8% year-on-year, according to local authorities. About 1.4 million of them entered China under a visa-free policy, more than three times the figure observed in the same period last year.
South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and Russia were among the top sources of foreign arrivals, and the city's Pudong International Airport was top-ranked in the country for overseas traffic with 2.37 million entries.
The national capital of Beijing saw over 840,000 visa-free arrivals - double the figure from the same period last year - out of 1.49 million total entries from abroad.
In the southwestern metropolis of Chengdu, 287,000 entries were made under the visa-free policy in the first half of this year, up 120% from the first six months of 2024.
The southern island province of Hainan - now designated the country's largest free trade port - saw 663,000 foreign entries and exits, up 48% from 2024. About 89% came under a visa-free scheme; the province allows 30-day stays without a visa for citizens of 59 countries, unique among Chinese regions.
James Liang, chairman of China's leading online travel service Ctrip, said the policy has been a boon for travel businesses.
"Our inbound tourism has already recovered to 70 to 80% of pre-Covid levels. It could be fully recovered this year," he was quoted by Shanghai-based media outlet The Paper as saying.
"There are still some bottlenecks to be addressed. If they are tackled, China's inbound tourism could reach the world's top tier in 10 or 20 years."
Beijing began expanding its visa-free entry policy in late 2023 to lure foreign tourists and businesspeople back to the country after nearly three years of strict Covid-19 controls.
Many countries, particularly those in Europe and elsewhere in Asia, have received blanket exemptions to visa requirements. Their citizens can visit anywhere in the country during stays of up to 30 days.
Others are able to enter without a visa under certain conditions. Most commonly, nationals can enter while on a documented transit stay while travelling between countries or regions. Last month, the National Immigration Administration added Indonesia to this list.
Passport holders from those countries can stay visa-free for up to 10 days by entering through one of 60 international ports in mainland China.
The scheme, in all its forms, now covers a majority of developed markets as well as much of Southeast Asia, which has strengthened its business ties with China in recent years.
In addition to the visa-free policy, the world's second-largest economy has taken other steps to encourage spending among overseas tourists, including by opening more duty-free shops across the country.
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