Tourism Attraction at Stake... China Expands Visa-Free Entry Cities

China, trapped in the slump of sluggish domestic demand, is putting all its efforts into attracting foreign tourists. The country is rapidly expanding the number of cities where travelers can enter visa-free and improving travel convenience.

On the 15th, the China National Immigration Administration announced that Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport, and the China-Laos border Mohan railway trade port have been newly designated as areas where 144-hour visa-free transit entry is allowed. In Yunnan Province, the 144-hour visa-free transit entry area has expanded from just Kunming to include nine administrative regions such as Lijiang, famous for the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tourism, as well as Xishuangbanna, Pu'er, and Dali.

[Image source= Xinhua News Agency]

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With this measure, the number of airports and trade ports in China where 144-hour visa-free transit entry is possible has reached 37, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Xi'an, and Xiamen.

China allows nationals from 54 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, to enter visa-free for 144 hours if they hold a third-country flight ticket with a specified date and seat.

Additionally, foreigners entering through Changsha Huanghua International Airport, Harbin Taiping International Airport, and Guilin Liangjiang International Airport can stay visa-free for 72 hours. Travelers entering through Changsha Airport can travel throughout Hunan Province, but those entering through Harbin and Guilin must stay only within those cities.

The Immigration Administration emphasized, "The 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policies have played an important role in high-level opening-up, promoting domestic and international personnel exchanges, and facilitating foreign exchanges. We will continue to improve and optimize these policies and welcome foreign visitors."

The number of foreign tourists visiting China has not yet reached pre-COVID-19 levels (15.54 million in the first half of 2019), but it reached 14.64 million in the first half of this year, an increase of 152.7% compared to the previous year. According to the Immigration Administration, 8.5 million of these visitors, accounting for 58%, traveled in China without a visa.

Meanwhile, China’s GDP growth in the second quarter was only 4.7% year-on-year. The overall growth rate for the first half of the year barely met the government’s annual target of around 5.0%, standing at 5.0%.

This appears to be due to sluggish trends in both exports and domestic demand, which support the Chinese economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, retail sales in China in June increased by only 2.0% year-on-year, falling short of the forecast (3.3%) and the previous month’s figure (3.7%). Last month’s retail sales growth rate was the weakest since December 2022 (-1.8%).

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