Cruises, visa-free entries boost tours to China

For the latest development, China has expanded the scope of unilateral visa-free entries for ordinary passport holders from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Slovenia, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From Oct 15 to Dec 31, 2025, individuals holding ordinary passports from the above-mentioned countries who come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for no more than 15 days are eligible for visa-free entry, the ministry said.

In the first half of this year, 14.64 million foreigners entered China from different ports across the country, jumping 152.7 percent year-on-year. Among them, 8.54 million foreigners entered the country using visa-free entries, surging 190.1 percent year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

In the latter half of this year, the number of foreigners visiting China is expected to exceed 15 million, according to a forecast by the China Tourism Academy.

"For the second half of this year, China's inbound tourism market is expected to recover to the same level seen in 2019, or before the COVID-19 pandemic period, and enter a new cycle of prosperity and growth," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy.

Meanwhile, local governments have been making more efforts to promote the high-quality growth of inbound tourism. For instance, Shanghai is building itself as the first destination for inbound tourism, according to a research report by the China Tourism Academy.

"Beijing, Hainan province, Anhui province and other provinces and cities have held multiple inbound tourism conferences and events, and built closer connections with international travel industry players," said Liu Xiangyan, a researcher with the academy. "In East China's Anhui, where the renowned Huangshan Mountain is located, the local government has been comprehensively promoting the building of itself as a world-class tourist destination and developing inbound tourism."