China Expands Visa-Free Travel Until the End of 2025 to Boost Tourism

China has extended its visa-free travel program to include Poland, Australia, and New Zealand until the end of 2025. This initiative, which began in stages at the start of 2024, now encompasses 11 additional European countries and Malaysia, aiming to increase business and tourism visits and enhance exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreigners.

European countries benefiting from this scheme include Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, with Polish citizens joining on July 1. This move is part of China’s strategy to facilitate high-quality exchanges and promote international openness, as stated by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a briefing in November. The trial program allows visa-free entry for up to 15 days.

China’s stringent pandemic measures, including mandatory quarantines, deterred many visitors for nearly three years. Although these restrictions were lifted early last year, international travel has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. Prior to COVID-19, China allowed visa-free entry for citizens of Brunei, Japan, and Singapore, but this was suspended during the outbreak. While visa-free entry resumed for Brunei and Singapore in July, it remains suspended for Japan.

In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, a significant decrease from the 97.7 million in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. The government is actively seeking foreign investment to invigorate its sluggish economy, attracting business leaders like Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook for trade fairs and meetings. However, foreign tourists remain scarce compared to pre-pandemic times.

Interest in China as a tourist destination has surged among Europeans. Data from Trip.com showed a 663% increase in bookings from Europe to China in 2023 compared to 2022 and a nearly 29% increase over 2019 levels. The United Kingdom and Germany are among the top sources of inbound travelers to China.

Shanghai tops the list of popular destinations for Europeans, offering a unique mix of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Emerging destinations include Sanya, a coastal city on Hainan Island, and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

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