China recorded about 40.6 million foreign entries over the past year, a 27.2 per cent increase compared with the previous year, according to data released by the National Immigration Administration.
The growth has been largely driven by China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy, which led to a 60.8 per cent rise in travellers compared with the period before the policy was improved, China Daily reported.
The policy officially came into effect on 17 December 2024. It applies to citizens from 55 countries and is available at 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions. It replaced the earlier 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit schemes with a single, unified 10-day stay.
Since its launch, the policy has continued to expand. Indonesia was added to the list of eligible countries on 12 June 2025, while five more ports were included on 5 November.
Major cities have recorded strong increases in foreign arrivals. Beijing handled more than 3.4 million foreign entries, with 55 per cent of travellers using the visa-free transit option. Shanghai received nearly 5.35 million foreign visitors, 56 per cent of whom benefited from the policy.
At Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, more than 3.2 million foreign entries were processed, with over 57 per cent arriving under the visa-free arrangement.
To ease travel, key entry points introduced one-stop processing systems and online declaration services. In Beijing, these measures cut average processing time for foreign travellers by about 15 minutes. Multilingual service teams were also deployed to assist international passengers.
Officials said the policy has made China more attractive for both tourism and business travel. The 10-day stay allows visitors to travel between provinces and gives enough time for business inspections, meetings and conferences.
One visitor, Arjun Dev Grover from the United States, said he travelled to China last week after learning about the visa-free transit policy while researching online. He said the arrangement allowed him to visit despite having limited holiday time.
“This is perfect. It is almost too good to be true,” Grover said, noting that his stay was under 10 days and required no application fees. He added that China’s modern infrastructure, friendly people and clean, safe environment left a strong impression.
Figures from Qunar.com show that domestic flight bookings by foreign passport holders rose by 20 per cent year on year in 2025, covering 175 cities. Smaller destinations such as Datong in Shanxi province and Yichun in Jiangxi province recorded growth of more than 300 per cent in foreign visitor numbers.
The main source markets included Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States.
Zeng Liangliang, a tour guide in Xiamen, Fujian province, with 20 years’ experience, said the policy has led to a sharp rise in foreign tourists, especially in major cities. He added that Xiamen has seen more visitors travelling for family visits and international business conferences.
