China's visa-free policy, diverse air routes fuel surge in inbound tourism

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Thanks to China's expanded diversity of air travel routes plus its visa-friendly policies, the country has seen a domestic travel surge during this year's Spring Festival travel rush from Jan 14 to Feb 22.

Data showed that as of Feb 17, the passenger throughput at domestic small and medium-sized airports during the 40-day travel rush period exceeded 22.15 million, an increase of around 8 percent over last year. In certain regions, the passenger transport volume of specific routes increased by more than 100 percent year on year.

For instance, Jiamusi Dongjiao Airport, in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, reported a significant increase in air passenger trip.

"As of Feb 18, the passenger throughput of Jiamusi Dongjiao Airport in 2025 reached 196,526, up 11.6 percent from 2024, and over 80,000 of these passengers were tourists from other regions. During the Spring Festival travel rush, the number of flights has increased, among which China Eastern Airlines has added 70 flights, and the number of passengers has also increased significantly," said Qu Jingzhu, passenger transport manager at the airport.

Kashgar Laining International Airport in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has also welcomed large numbers of tourists.

The airport has so far opened 76 passenger routes, connecting 46 domestic cities. Direct flights from Kashgar can reach important domestic cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Shenzhen and Jinan.

"This morning, I just had a bowl of pita bread soaked in lamb soup near the Bell Tower in Xi'an. Now I've flown here to Kashgar. I think it's quite convenient," said Ms. Chen, a tourist.

In addition, traveling to China becomes more attractive among international tourists, thanks to the expansion of China's visa-free policy and the continuous recovery of international routes.

In 2024, China introduced a series of new visa-free entry and transit policies, providing foreign nationals with greater convenience to visit the country and demonstrating its unswerving determination and commitment to opening up.

The latest moves include an extended visa-free entry policy introduced in November last year to allow ordinary passport holders from 38 countries to visit China for a maximum of 30 days without applying for a visa.

In the following month, China announced a relaxation of the visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours from the previous periods of either 72 hours or 144 hours.

Data from Chinese online travel platforms indicated that during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the number of domestic flights booked by non-Chinese passport holders increased by 70 percent over last year. Specifically, passengers from 10 ASEAN countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, accounted for approximately 20 percent of these non-Chinese passport holders.

"Particularly interested in visiting Chongqing. I really like China, so next time we will visit more," said an international visitor.

"Visa free, very convenient. The transport system is fantastic, so I've really had a wonderful holiday," said another foreigner visitor.