Visa-Free China Crowded with Koreans... Does It Boost Tourist Numbers? [News SeolCham]

Tourism Effect Sparked by Visa-Free Policy
Shanghai Crowded with Korean Tourists,
But Passenger and Flight Numbers Drop Compared to Pre-Policy Month
Full Recovery to Pre-Pandemic Levels Still a Long Way Off

Editor's Note'Seolcham' is a newly coined term meaning to refer to detailed explanations. In [News Seolcham], we aim to pinpoint and explain in more detail the parts of the news that require fact-checking or further explanation.

"Weekend Shanghai trips trending among young Koreans" (January 6, CCTV)

"Korean tourists deeply immersed in traveling to China" (January 7, Xinhua News Agency)

Positive reviews are pouring in regarding the visa-free entry policy implemented in China in early November last year. Thanks to the visa-free policy, the number of Korean tourists visiting China has been increasing recently.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that after China implemented the visa-free tourism policy targeting Koreans, downtown Shanghai has been bustling with Korean tourists. The state-run Xinhua News Agency also conveyed the atmosphere that Korean tourists are deeply enjoying their travels in China. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the number of foreigners entering China without a visa last year reached 20,115,000, an increase of 112.3%, stating that the visa exemption policy is effectively boosting the number of foreign tourists.

The visa-free policy is a card the Chinese government has played to revive domestic demand. Despite the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for tourists visiting China did not increase, so China began temporarily expanding the visa exemption policy for foreign tourists to attract them. Since November 8 last year, Korea, along with Slovakia, Finland, Denmark, and others, has been included in the list of countries eligible for visa-free entry to China. Koreans entering China for business, tourism, or visiting relatives can stay up to 30 days without a visa.

Trip.com, a Chinese online travel booking platform, recently stated in a media interview, "Due to the effect of the visa-free policy, the number of Korean travelers has noticeably increased," adding, "Koreans mainly book trips to Harbin, Chengdu, and Shanghai." It also reported that from November 8 to December 28 last year, the number of Korean tourists visiting Shanghai increased by more than 180% compared to the previous year and by more than 40% compared to the previous month.

Citizens walking on a street in Shanghai, China, on the 10th. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

While visa exemption has indeed made it easier for Korean tourists to visit China, it is premature to definitively conclude that the visa-free entry policy has had a clear effect by comparing annual air routes and passenger numbers between Korea and China. According to the Korea Airports Corporation's aviation statistics on the 18th, the number of passengers departing domestically and arriving in China in December last year was 148,264, a slight increase from the previous month (138,434). Even compared to just before the visa exemption policy was implemented, it is hard to say that Korean tourists surged. In October last year, the number of passengers departing domestically and visiting China was 184,813, which was higher than in November and December, after the visa-free entry policy was implemented.

The increase in passengers to China compared to 2023 is interpreted as an effect of the lifting of overseas travel restrictions due to COVID-19, which led to an increase in overseas travel. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's aviation statistics, the total number of international air passengers increased by 30.2% last year, while domestic passengers decreased by 2.2%.

Even compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to say that the number of Korean tourists has fully recovered. From November to December 2019, more than 400,000 passengers departed domestically for China, but from November to December last year, the number was only about 280,000.

Although China is geographically close to Korea, travel preference for China has been low. Various factors such as ▲payment barriers and ▲deterioration of the country's external image seem to have played a role. First, China, where electronic payments like WeChat Pay and Alipay are widespread, has a low cash usage rate, making it difficult for foreigners who are not registered with the Chinese payment system to make purchases. Along with restrictive internet policies and worsening external image due to confrontations with Western countries after the COVID-19 outbreak, these are cited as reasons for low tourism demand for China.

This contrasts with Japan, which is at a similar distance and was selected as "the most desired overseas travel destination for Koreans." Last month, the travel company "Yeo-gi-eo-ddae" conducted a survey of Korean citizens on their 2025 overseas travel bucket list, with Japan (36.3%) ranking first. Europe (24.7%) and Vietnam (21.5%) followed.

The high travel preference for Japan is also confirmed by passenger numbers. Last year, the total number of international passengers visiting Japan was 25.14 million, the highest among individual countries. This means half of Koreans visited Japan. The depreciation of the yen significantly reduced the cost burden of traveling to Japan. Additionally, the active development of new routes to smaller cities by airlines expanded flight routes beyond major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, stimulating demand for travel to Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.