On the Agenda
As the May Day holiday approaches, China is anticipating a surge in international visitors. According to data from Ctrip, one of the nation’s leading online travel agencies, inbound tourist bookings have soared by an impressive 130% compared to the same period last year.
This uptick coincides with broader trends in travel to the Chinese mainland, highlighted by recent figures from the National Immigration Administration. In the first quarter of 2024, a total of 59.115 million residents from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, along with 13.074 million foreign nationals, entered mainland China. Of these, 466,000 were foreign nationals who received visas—a significant 118.8% increase from the previous year.
Additionally, the number of visa-free entries has skyrocketed, with over 1.988 million foreign nationals entering without a visa, marking a 266.1% increase. This spike is largely due to China’s strategic policies aimed at enhancing tourism and business exchanges. Among these is the reinstatement of a 15-day visa-free entry for Singapore and Brunei citizens holding ordinary passports for activities including business, tourism, family visits, and transit, effective from July 26, 2023.
Subsequent expansions included unilateral visa-free entries for citizens from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, implemented between December 1, 2023, and March 14, 2024. The visa exemption agreement with Thailand that came into effect on March 1, 2024, further bolstered visitor numbers, with 989,000 travelers from the 15 eligible countries entering China visa-free, representing over 60% of total arrivals from these nations.
Last February, China expanded its visa-free access to Hainan, allowing travelers from certain countries to enter the region for up to 30 days for various purposes, including tourism, business, and medical treatment. Within two months of this policy, 49,000 foreign nationals visited Hainan visa-free.
Despite the increase in travel, China maintains stringent measures against illegal immigration, with 23,000 cases of illegal entry, residence, and employment detected early this year, resulting in 4,551 deportations. These figures underline China’s cautious approach to opening its borders while safeguarding its immigration laws.
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