China opens visa-free travel to over 70 countries, allowing stays of up to 30 days: Report

Foreign tourism to China is climbing again, powered by the country’s most extensive visa relaxations in years. In 2024 alone, over 20 million travellers entered China without a visa, more than doubling last year’s figure and accounting for nearly one-third of all foreign arrivals, according to the National Immigration Administration.

As of July 16, citizens of 75 countries will be able to visit China visa-free for up to 30 days, up from just a handful before the pandemic, according to Associated Press. The sweeping policy, largely introduced on a one-year trial basis, is part of Beijing’s push to revive tourism, spur economic activity, and project soft power after a sharp decline during COVID-era lockdowns.

“This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa,” said Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian national visiting Beijing.

Who can travel visa-free?

The biggest beneficiaries are travellers from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. In just the past few months, China has added countries like France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Uzbekistan, Argentina, and several Gulf nations to the list. Norwegian visitor Oystein Sporsheim said the change was a “relief” for his family, “They don’t very often open [the embassy], so it was much harder.”

Meanwhile, tourism businesses in China are gearing up for the surge. “I’m practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up,” said Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking guide who has now launched a training programme to help meet demand. Jenny Zhao, MD of luxury tour firm WildChina, said business is up 50% compared to pre-pandemic levels. “We’re quite optimistic,” she added.

According to Trip.com Group, bookings for China-bound travel in the first quarter of 2024 doubled year-on-year, with 75% of customers coming from visa-free countries.

Still, not everyone benefits equally. No major African country has been included in the visa-free list despite strong China-Africa relations. Meanwhile, travellers from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Sweden, and several others remain excluded from the 30-day visa exemption. However, a limited 10-day transit policy applies at 60 ports of entry, provided the traveller is continuing to a third country.

Notably, Sweden, a high-income EU state, is the only major European country not on the list. Ties have been strained since China sentenced Swedish publisher Gui Minhai to prison in 2020 after a controversial disappearance and reappearance in Chinese custody.

Despite political exceptions, industry players say China’s visa reform is already reshaping travel trends. Zhao notes that Europeans now make up 15–20% of her clients, up from less than 5% before 2019.