The number of foreigners traveling to China each year is increasing year by year. According to the State Administration of Immigration, in the first seven months of 2024, the number of foreigners entering the country through various ports reached 14,635,000, a year-on-year increase of 152.7%. Among them, the number of foreigners entering the country through visa-free access reached 8.542 million, a year-on-year increase of 190.1%.1 In addition, in the first half of 2024, there were more than 1.7 million foreigners entering the country at Beijing ports, a year-on-year increase of 156.6%.
The Chinese government has implemented a series of visa facilitation measures, including the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy for 54 countries, as well as mutual visa exemption or unilateral visa exemption with a number of countries, which have attracted a large number of foreign tourists to China.34 For example, in the first half of 2024, the number of foreigners entering Chengdu air ports reached more than 230,000, a year-on-year increase of 432%, of which the proportion of foreigners entering through visa-free access reached 41%.
Popular destinations for foreign tourists traveling to China include Shanghai and Sichuan. The streets of Shanghai were crowded with foreigners, especially during the May Day holiday, when 1.775 million foreign tourists came to China, setting a new record.4 Popular destinations such as the Samsungdui Museum and Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area in Sichuan also received a large number of foreign tourists.
Foreign tourists traveling to China not only boost the tourism industry, but also have a positive impact on China’s economy. in 2023, the total spending of inbound tourists reached US$53 billion, with foreigners accounting for a certain percentage of the spending.