China's 10-day visa waiver drives 27pc surge in foreign arrivals

Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China recorded 40.6 million foreign entries over the past year, marking a 27.2 per cent increase compared with the previous year, according to data released on Thursday by the National Immigration Administration.

A report published by China Daily shows the growth was driven partly by increased use of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, which saw a 60.8 per cent rise in travellers compared with the period before the policy was optimised.

The 240-hour visa-free transit policy officially took effect on December 17, 2024. It applies to citizens of 55 eligible countries and is available at 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions.

The policy unified the former 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit programmes into a single 10-day stay.

Indonesia was added to the list of eligible countries on June 12, 2025, and five additional ports were included on November 5.

Beijing's ports handled more than 3.4 million foreign arrivals during the period, with 55 per cent of travellers entering under the visa-free transit policy. Shanghai recorded nearly 5.35 million inbound foreign visitors, 56 per cent of whom benefited from the policy.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province processed more than 3.2 million foreign entries, with over 57 per cent of travellers using the visa-free option.

To support implementation, major entry hubs introduced "one-stop" processing systems and online declaration services.

In Beijing, these measures reduced the average processing time for foreign travellers by about 15 minutes. Multilingual service teams were also deployed to assist international passengers.

Authorities noted the policy has strengthened China's appeal for tourism and business travel.

The 10-day stay allows for inter-provincial travel and extended visits, while also providing sufficient time for business inspections, negotiations and conferences.

Arjun Dev Grover, a visitor from the United States, travelled to China last week after learning about the visa-free transit policy while researching visa requirements online.

"This is perfect. It is almost too good to be true," Grover noted, adding that his stay was under 10 days and did not require any application fees.

He observed that China's modern infrastructure, friendly residents and safe, clean environment left a strong impression.

Data from Qunar.com showed that domestic flight bookings by foreign passport holders rose 20 per cent year-on-year in 2025, covering 175 destination cities.

Smaller cities, including Datong in Shanxi province and Yichun in Jiangxi province, recorded growth of more than 300 per cent in foreign visitor numbers.

Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States were the leading source markets.

Zeng Liangliang, a tour guide based in Xiamen, Fujian province, with 20 years of experience, noted that the visa-free transit policy has led to a sharp increase in foreign tourist arrivals in major cities.

"Xiamen has seen a rise in visitors travelling for family visits and business conferences," said Zeng.