Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — The eastern Chinese metropolis of Shanghai received 4.1 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of this year.
Among them was German tourist Elke Walter, who spent time in the city, learning about Chinese culture and sampling local delicacies.
E. Walter was impressed by Chinese culture and the latest technologies that are now part of everyday life in China, and had a rich and enjoyable experience.
Shanghai's tourism boom is the result of a series of measures aimed at making it easier for foreign tourists to enter China. As one of the country's most prominent tourist destinations, Shanghai is typically among the first to benefit from new measures in this sector.
Amid this boom, the city is attracting an increasing number of tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK). After China began introducing a visa-free regime for South Korean citizens in November 2024, tourists from that country immediately took advantage of both the new policy and the relatively short distance from China, making weekend trips to Shanghai a new trend, especially among young people.
From January to August this year, the ROK was the main source of foreign tourists to Shanghai, with the number of trips from it to the city reaching 547,000, an increase of 123.9 percent year-on-year.
Just as Shanghai's appeal has grown among tourists from the ROK, China as a whole is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination thanks to various measures to improve entry and travel conditions for foreign visitors.
According to data from the National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China, from January to June 2025, the number of round-trip border crossings by foreign citizens through Chinese checkpoints totaled 38.05 million, an increase of 30.2 percent year-on-year. Of these trips, 13.64 million were visa-free, an increase of 53.9 percent compared to the same period last year.
As the department noted, China is currently introducing a unilateral or reciprocal visa-free regime for 76 countries, as well as 240-hour visa-free transit for citizens of 55 countries, including the United States and Canada.
Most recently, starting September 15, China began piloting a visa-free entry policy for Russian citizens holding regular international passports. Data from the Russian travel platform OneTwoTrip showed that between September 15 and 21, the number of flight bookings from Russia to China increased by 70 percent compared to the same period last year.
According to official statistics, the tourist flow from Russia to Shanghai in the first eight months of this year has already exceeded 200,000 people.
In addition to expanding its visa-free policy, China has implemented and improved policies in recent years on entry, consumption, and tax refunds, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli said at a press conference on Monday.
“Today, sightseeing and shopping in China have become a trend for tourists from all over the world,” said Sun Yeli.
From the latest fashion trends to cutting-edge electronics, China's shopping craze is on the rise, along with the trend of China travel.
According to data from the General Administration of Taxation of China, the efficiency of instant tax refund services has increased by more than 40 percent since the beginning of this year: in the first six months of this year, the number of outbound tax refund offices in China increased to more than 7,200. And the number of travelers using these services increased by 186 percent year-on-year.
China is also removing payment and language barriers for international tourists. The country's mobile payment systems, Alipay and WeChat Pay, now support direct integration with international credit cards. AI-powered translation tools are being introduced at airports and tourist attractions across the country to facilitate inbound tourism.
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