Editorial | China’s visa-free travel strategy appears to have paid off
The number of such visits doubled last year. Smoothing the path for foreigners to travel to and from the country is smart policy
In January 2023, China lifted tough Covid-19 travel restrictions that were the law of the land for three years, only to find itself struggling to attract foreign tourists back to levels seen before the pandemic.
Much was at stake, as restoring tourism was a key lever to help revive the faltering economy. Later that year, authorities settled on the answer: they began relaxing entry procedures and granting visa waivers to an ever larger number of countries.
Many of the waivers came unilaterally, and even benefited people from countries with which China’s foreign relations had been strained, including South Korea and Japan.
If the response of foreign visitors in 2024 is anything to go by, the strategy has paid off. Visa-free travel to China more than doubled in the year compared to 2023, according to the latest data.
A total of 20.1 million travellers came to China using visa-free entry during the year, up 112 per cent from the previous year, figures released on Tuesday by the National Immigration Administration showed.
More relaxations are on the way. The State Council, the country’s cabinet, has outlined further efforts to “optimise” inbound travel policies, part of an 18-point package to boost consumption and help to restore the economy.
