By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-14 10:16:31 | Updated at 2025-01-14 22:20:35
12 hours ago
Visa-free travel to China more than doubled last year from 2023, the latest data shows, with Beijing pledging to further ease its rules for foreign tourists.
This comes after more than a year of travel policy easing, including short-term visa-free transit and unilateral visa-free entry schemes for dozens of countries.
A total of 20.1 million foreign travellers gained visa-free entry in 2024, surging by 112.3 per cent from the previous year, according to National Immigration Administration (NIA) figures released on Tuesday.
“Over the past year … the number of foreigners coming to China has increased significantly,” NIA spokeswoman Lu Ning said.
The NIA data was released a day after the State Council, China’s cabinet, outlined further efforts to “optimise” inbound travel policies. The move is part of an 18-point package to boost consumption as the country struggles to grow its post-Covid economy.
“[We will] expand the scope of unilateral visa exemptions in an orderly manner and appropriately extend the duration of visa-free stays,” the State Council said in a checklist released on Monday.
