​China Travel upgraded: China improves visa-free transit policy

China Travel upgraded: China improves visa-free transit policy

On December 17th, the National Immigration Administration announced enhancements to China's visa-free transit policy, extending the allowable stay for eligible foreign travelers to 240 hours (10 days) and designating 21 additional ports for visa-free transit. This brings the total number of eligible ports to 60, up from the previous 39, and further expands the areas where travelers can engage in activities during their stay.

Within 30 minutes of the announcement, Chinese destination searches on Ctrip's European, American, and Asia-Pacific sites saw week-on-week increases of 85%, 163%, and 116%, respectively, with France, Canada, and Russia ranking as the top three countries by growth in search volume.

Data from Tongcheng Travel revealed that within an hour of the announcement, search interest in domestic hotels and inbound flights by overseas tourists surged by 87% compared to the same time of the previous day. Many foreign travelers used Tongcheng Travel and its international booking platform HopeGoo to explore and reserve inbound flights, hotel accommodations, and other products. Notably, hotel bookings for stays around New Year's Day increased more than fivefold compared to the same time of the previous day, reflecting the holiday's strong appeal for international visitors.

Industry experts predict that China's second-tier cities will see more foreign visitors than before.

Thanks to China's ongoing expansion of its visa-free "circle of friends" and improvements in inbound tourism infrastructure, inbound tourism has been growing rapidly. According to Ctrip, as of now, China's inbound tourism rate has more than doubled year-on-year compared to 2023, with the 54 visa-free countries collectively outperforming the overall market and showing a growth rate of 189%.

Data from Qunar indicates that bookings for domestic flights using non-Chinese passports have nearly tripled compared to 2023. Travelers holding passports from the United States, Russia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and Australia ranked among the top five in volume. Meanwhile, travelers from Malaysia, Japan, and Kazakhstan showed the most significant growth, with booking volumes more than doubling year-on-year.

Ctrip further revealed that Italy, Spain, Russia, Iceland, and Singapore ranked as the top five fastest-growing inbound tourism markets this year among the 54 visa-free countries. Currently, inbound tourists from these visa-free countries account for 40% of China's total inbound tourism orders. Interestingly, one out of every four foreign visitors to China is a repeat traveler.

Additionally, high-speed rail remains a popular choice for foreign tourists in China. Data from Qunar shows that travelers from the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Vietnam, and Malaysia lead in high-speed rail ticket bookings. Among the most favored regions are the two-hour high-speed rail circles of Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai, Sichuan-Chongqing, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen. Guangzhou and Shenzhen have also risen to rank among the top 10 most popular destinations.

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

China Travel升级！中国过境免签政策全面放宽优化

12月17日，国家移民管理局发布公告，将过境免签外国人在境内停留时间延长至240小时（10天），并新增21个口岸作为过境免签人员出入境口岸，进一步扩大停留活动区域。本次政策优化后，适用对外开放口岸由原有的39个增加至60个。

消息公布半小时后，携程海外平台欧洲站点、美洲站点、亚太站点的中国相关目的地搜索热度环比分别增长85%、163%、116%，其中法国、加拿大、俄罗斯的搜索热度增幅排名前三。

同程旅行数据显示，消息公布一小时内，海外游客搜索国内酒店和入境机票的搜索热度较前日同一时段上涨87%。众多外国游客通过同程旅行及旗下国际旅行预订平台HopeGoo关注和预订入境机票、酒店等产品，其中海外游客元旦前后入住的酒店预订热度较前日同一时段上涨超5倍，显示新年对外国游客的吸引力极大。

业界同时预计，与此前相比，中国二线城市将迎来更多外国旅客。

受益于我国免签“朋友圈”的持续扩容和入境游基础设施的完善，入境游增长迅猛。携程平台数据显示，截至目前，中国入境游增长率同比2023年上涨超过1倍，54个免签国入境游增长率超过大盘，同比2023年上涨189%。

去哪儿数据显示，今年使用非中国护照预订国内航线间机票的旅客预订量，同比2023年增长近2倍，其中，持美国、俄罗斯、加拿大、韩国、澳大利亚护照旅客的预订量排名前五；持马来西亚、日本、哈萨克斯坦护照的预订增幅最明显，均在2倍以上。

携程数据显示，今年以来，意大利、西班牙、俄罗斯、冰岛、新加坡成为54个免签国中入境游增速排名最高的五个国家。截至目前，54个免签国入境旅客订单占中国入境游订单的4成。值得关注的是，每4个外籍旅客中就有1个是曾来过中国的“老朋友”。

值得一提的是，在中国旅游，外国人也喜欢选择高铁。去哪儿平台上，美国、韩国、俄罗斯、越南、马来西亚的旅客高铁票预订量排名最高，江浙沪2小时高铁圈、川渝2小时高铁圈、广深2小时高铁圈最受欢迎，广州、深圳跻身热门目的地TOP10。

文、图｜记者 刘星彤

翻译｜邹晓华

审校｜林佳岱