China Power | Economy | East Asia

China’s Tourism Industry Gains Momentum Thanks to Visa-Free Policies

China is poised to become a global powerhouse as both a source and destination for international tourism.

In the first six months of 2026, China received 22.91 million visits from foreign nationals, up 20.4 percent year on year. The uptick is the result of China’s visa-free policy, which accounts for 77.7 percent of all foreign arrivals. 

Earlier this year, China announced that starting February 17, 2026 all ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom can travel to its mainland for up to 30 days without a visa. The expansion in China’s unilateral visa-exemption program to include Canada and the U.K. followed recent visits to Beijing by leaders from the two countries as they seek to reset ties. According to China’s Foreign Ministry, the visa-free program – expected to run until December 31, 2026 – aims to foster people-to-people exchanges, the foundation for cross-cultural understanding, economic interdependence, and peaceful diplomatic relations. 

For the United Kingdom, which sees China as an important tourist destination as well as a source market, attempts to eliminate barriers to cross-border tourism are certainly a step in the right direction. Data from the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics showed that around 620,000 British people traveled to China in 2024. According to VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, in the same year, the U.K. welcomed 463,000 visitors from China (41 percent were holiday visits, in line with the market average), generating a total expenditure of 723.8 million pounds. In the coming years, a new report from VisitBritain estimates that China’s visitor market will be worth around £1.2 billion in terms of visitor spending in 2026. The agency forecast that tourism from China to the U.K. will expand rapidly, by 20 percent annually through 2030.

Similarly, as Canada seeks to reset relations with Beijing, the newly implemented visa-free policy is expected to further facilitate two-way travel. According to Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand, the change is “making travel easier, supporting business exchanges, and strengthening people-to-people ties.’’ 

For China, the offer of visa-free travel for nationals of Canada and the U.K. is only part of a larger trend. As part of efforts to further open up and attract foreign visitors after the COVID-19 pandemic, on December 1, 2023 China  commenced the trial implementation of unilateral visa-free entry policies for ordinary passport holders from six countries: Germany, France, Malaysia, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. Over the trial period, the expanded visa-free policy helped support China’s tourism industry growth. Beijing has thus continued with the approach, eventually expanding visa-free access to include 50 countries.

As the expanded visa-free program facilitated international travel, China experienced a record 697 million inbound and outbound crossings in 2025, according to data from the National Immigration Administration. That represented a 14.2 percent year-on-year increase. International visitors made more than 82 million crossings in 2025, marking a 26.4 percent increase compared to 2024, and over 73 percent of these travelers benefitted from China’s visa-free program. 

The inclusion of new members in China’s unilateral visa-free scheme – which now includes 35 countries from Europe, seven in Asia, six in the Americas, and two in Oceania – will not only enhance people-to-people exchanges but also support broader economic benefits. 

According to U.N. Tourism, China in 2023 recovered its position as the top spender........

© The Diplomat