issued, up by 182.9% from 2023. More and more foreigners are joining the "China Travel" wave.
On August 19th, Liu Haitao, Deputy Director of the National Immigration Administration, stated at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office: "The policy benefits are further being unleashed, becoming the trending reason for foreign tourists to visit China with ease."
The 144-hour visa-free transit policy makes visiting more convenient for foreigners. Implemented in January 2013, this policy has been continuously optimized, including the applicable countries, designated ports, duration of stay, and applicable regions.
Regional visa-free entry policies are enabling more diverse visits by foreign tourists. A series of policies have been introduced, such as the 144-hour visa-free for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao into Guangdong Province, 144-hour visa-free for group tourists from ten ASEAN countries to Guilin City, 30-day visa-free entry for citizens of 59 countries into Hainan Province, 15-day visa-free entry policy for foreign tourist groups traveling to China's coastal provinces by cruise ships. Recently, a new policy was launched, allowing 144-hour visa-free entry for foreign tour groups from Hong Kong and Macau into Hainan Province, benefiting more than 5.9 million foreign tourists.
Innovative port visa policies are facilitating the entry of foreign businesspersons. Conditions for applying for port visas have been further expanded, and various convenient services have been provided such as re-entry visas for foreign business and investment personnel, ensuring that foreign businesspersons can come and stay in China as they need.
The increasing number of foreigners traveling to China is significantly boosting the inbound tourism market. According to publicly available data from the National Bureau of Statistics in 2023, foreign tourists in China spend an average of 3,459 yuan per day, which is expected to drive consumption exceeding 100 billion yuan directly.
Source: Yangcheng Evening News