China has made big change to its visa system. More people can now visit the country without visa. Citizens of 74 countries now have visa-free access to enter for up to 30 days. In addition, citizens from 54 countries can stay in-transit for 240 hours, but they must have ticket to third country. China's government is slowly expanding its visa-free entry process, so it can grow its tourism industry and its economy. It started allowing visitors from more countries in 2023. Almost every European country and many nations from South America, Asia, and the Middle East have been added since then. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered China without visa in 2024.
number of Chinese tourists at sights in China still greatly outnumbers international tourists. However, the country is preparing for big increase in number of overseas travellers. Tour companies are trying to find guides and staff, to help more and more customers. Gao Jun, English-speaking tour guide with 20 years of experience, is very busy. He said: "I'm flooded with tours, and I'm struggling to keep up." He has started new business to train new tour guides. Jenny Zhao, director of the luxury WildChina tour company, said: " new visa policies are 100 per cent beneficial to us." She said business was up by 50 per cent compared to before pandemic.
