Visa facilitation steps boost number of foreign visitors

The number of foreigners coming to China visa-free has increased significantly in the first six months of the year, as the nation continues to open its doors wider for international travelers.

From January to June, immigration management authorities across China recorded a total of 13.64 million visa-free inbound trips made by foreigners, up 53.9 percent year-on-year, Lyu Ning, a spokeswoman for the National Immigration Administration, said on Wednesday.

These trips accounted for 71.2 percent of all inbound trips made by foreigners in the first half of the year, Lyu said.

During the first six months, foreigners made more than 38 million trips to and from China, up 30.2 percent year-on-year. Authorities also recorded a total of 333 million cross-border trips, up 15.8 percent compared with the same period last year.

This year, China introduced additional favorable policies to facilitate cross-border travel and attract more foreign visitors.

In June, it added Indonesia to the list of countries whose citizens are eligible for visa-free transit, allowing Indonesians traveling to a third country to enter China visa-free through designated ports, and stay for up to 10 days.

In February, China allowed tourist groups from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to stay in Xi-shuangbanna, Yunnan province, for up to six days after entering the country visa-free through designated ports.

China has also adopted unilateral visa-free policies for nine other countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Chile, and signed comprehensive mutual visa-free agreements with Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, Lyu said that China's immigration management authorities issue visas to foreign ordinary passport holders who arrive at the country's ports for emergency or humanitarian reasons, but didn't have time to apply for a visa at Chinese embassies.

"These visa facilitation measures have encouraged a large number of foreign friends to come to China for tourism and business, boosted inbound consumption, and further enhanced understanding and friendship between people in China and other countries," she said.

A 22-year-old woman from Poland, who asked to be identified by only her first name, Julia, is in China with a friend to attend a summer camp on Chinese language and culture, as well as for sightseeing. The duo, who arrived on Tuesday, will visit Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

"We are very excited for the time that we will spend here," said Julia, who is on her second trip to China but entered the country visa-free for the first time.

Poland was among countries whose citizens were granted visa-free entry to China in 2024.

"It's a very nice policy," Julia said, adding that the policy spared her the potentially cumbersome documentation process needed for getting a visa.

Yang Jinsong, a researcher at the China Tourism Academy, said the figures released on Wednesday reflect the positive effect of the country's measures for stimulating cross-border travel.

These measures have increased China's popularity among international travelers, he said, noting that the country's inbound tourism market has shown strong recovery momentum in recent years.

Lyu, the spokeswoman for the National Immigration Administration, said the administration will come up with more diversified and effective measures for cross-border travel and foreigners' stays in China.