The mainland is expected “to become a popular destination for foreign tourists this upcoming New Year holiday,” state-run news agency Xinhua reported yesterday.
The National Immigration Administration has forecast an 18.8 percent rise in inbound and outbound travellers this New Year’s Eve, with airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu expected to handle almost 200,000 international passengers each day of the holiday.
Many tourists are expected to take advantage of the central government’s recent transit policy relaxation, which permits eligible foreigners to spend up to 240 hours (10 days) in the mainland without obtaining a visa – so long as they are travelling through China to a third destination.
[See more: China has significantly extended its transit permit scheme]
The central authorities have been working hard to attract more foreign visitors over the past year, having expanded China’s mutual and unilateral visa-waiver policies numerous times. Each round has allowed citizens from additional countries to more easily enter the mainland. Passport holders from dozens of countries – belatedly including Portugal – can now spend up to 30 days there visa-free.
According to official data from the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection, almost 1,000 foreigners landing in the city were issued with 240-hour temporary entry permits between 17 and 24 December. The top five countries represented were Russia, the US, the UK, Sweden and Canada.
The mainland recorded nearly 29.22 million inbound foreign visits between January and November this year, up 86.2 percent compared with the same period in 2023. Almost 18 million of those visitors entered the country visa-free – a year-on-year growth of 123.3 percent.
