China's expansion of visa-free circle: surge in 'travel to China' and mutual learning

Tianai Yan

Since July 2024, with the continuous expansion of China's visa-free policy and the implementation of the 72/144-hour transit visa exemption, a boom in traveling to China has emerged on foreign websites. More and more foreign tourists and bloggers have flocked to China, and the term "China Travel" has gone viral on the Internet. According to statistics, the views of the hashtag "#China Travel" have reached as high as 700 million on TikTok alone. Traveling to China has not only become a popularity password for foreign bloggers but also a stunning calling card for China to break the world's stereotyped impressions of it and showcase its image as a major power.

Against the backdrop of the relaxation of tourism policies, the entry procedures have been streamlined, facilitating foreign travelers coming to China. Measures such as optimizing visa application forms, canceling visa appointments, expanding the scope of fingerprint collection on-site and reducing visa fees have been put into practice. All these measures have simplified the procedures for foreigners coming to China, making their entry more efficient and convenient, fueling the enthusiasm of foreign people to travel to China, and driving the continuous rise in the popularity of "traveling to China".

Since the trial implementation of the visa-free policy, the number of people has witnessed a notable increase, which has vigorously promoted the rapid development of international tourism and commercial exchanges. Data shows that in the third quarter of this year, 8.186 million foreigners entered China through various ports, a year-on-year increase of 48.8%. Among them, 4.885 million entered China through visa-free channels, a year-on-year increase of 78.6%. The increase in the number of inbound travelers has led travel agencies both at home and abroad to expand their tourism products related to China, effectively driving the development of cross-border tourism and expanding economic consumption. Against the backdrop of the sluggish global economy, it has injected new impetus into economic development. Meanwhile, the surging number of people "traveling to China" has led to more frequent and economic and trade exchanges, which helps attract foreign investment and facilitate commercial exchanges, adding new vitality to the development of international business.

More and more foreigners have come to China and experienced its colorful charm. The railway passing through buildings in the mountainous city of Chongqing has drawn countless exclamations; foreign tourists wearing Hanfu stroll leisurely along the streets in Xi'an, an ancient capital with a history of thirteen dynasties; the dazzling night view of Shanghai's Bund brings wonderful visual shocks; and the beautiful unique scenery of the misty and rainy Jiangnan region demonstrates the unique Oriental aesthetics. More and more “Travel to China” fly tickets have broken the Western stereotypes of China and reshape the image of an open and inclusive China among the hustle and bustle of the streets and the futuristic high-tech ambience. "Traveling to China" has also become a bridge for cross-cultural exchanges, allowing people from all countries to draw close to outstanding Chinese culture, break cultural barriers, build consensus in exchanges, and achieve exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

With the increase in the number of tourists coming to China, China has also been constantly improving the travel experiences in China, demonstrating its full sincerity in opening up to the outside world. China UnionPay, in cooperation with various industry players, has focused on the needs of overseas people coming to China and comprehensively deepened the construction of payment services in eight major consumption scenarios, namely "food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping, entertainment, medical care, and education", to provide convenient consumption services for tourists coming to China and create a user-friendly consumption environment. China's telecommunications network operators have also optimized the forms of service implementation by adding service outlets and providing foreign language services, enabling foreign friends to access and use 5G networks more conveniently and making the daily lives of people coming to China more convenient and comfortable. From hardware to software, China has made great effort to improve tourists' experiences, narrowing the distance between China and foreign tourists.

On November 22, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would further implement the visa-free trial policy for holders of ordinary passports from nine countries and extend the visa-free stay period from the current 15 days to 30 days. Up to now, nearly 40 countries have benefited from China's unilateral visa-free policy. This move will further stimulate the enthusiasm of international tourists to visit China and attract more foreign tourists to come. China's inbound tourism will witness further growth. Meanwhile, this measure is conducive to promoting economic and cultural exchanges and presenting a real, vivid, and comprehensive image of China in all aspects, which enables the world to gain a better understanding of China's development concepts, cultural heritages, and the demeanor of an open and inclusive major power.

(Tianai Yan is a scholar at Southwest University of Political Science and Law)