As the Spring Festival approaches, foreigners have become noticeably more visible across many parts of China.
This year’s Spring Festival bookings are close to full, led by travelers from Vietnam and Singapore. Visitors from Europe, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand are also showing up in large numbers. From Lunar New Year’s Eve through the Lantern Festival, many people are choosing to extend their trips, seemingly to soak up the festive atmosphere.
Data from multiple travel platforms show that, in the past two weeks, flight bookings for foreign travelers for the Spring Festival holiday have surged more than four times compared to last year. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Chengdu are the most popular entry cities.
What these cities share is straightforward: dense air connectivity, smooth transportation, and a concentrated Spring Festival experience.
At the end of last year, China unilaterally extended its short-term visa exemption policy for passport holders from 45 countries by one year. In December, Germany, Brazil, and several Southeast Asian countries were also included in the visa-free list.
In addition, the National Immigration Administration launched a 240-hour visa-free transit policy and a 15-day visa-free cruise policy for Hainan.
These diplomacy-led measures have quickly translated into a powerful tailwind for China’s inbound tourism.
According to the National Immigration Administration, foreign entries and exits reached 82.035 million in 2025, up 26.4% year on year. Visa-exempt inbound entries totaled 30.08 million, accounting for 73.1% of all inbound foreign arrivals, nearly a 50% increase compared to the previous year.
AloJapan.com