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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
Guangzhou, January 2 (Xinhua) — Turkey has introduced a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports entering the country for tourism or transit. The new policy, which took effect on January 2, 2026, has generated considerable interest among Chinese tourists.
Under the new policy, Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements for tourism and transit purposes. They can stay in Turkey for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
Data from Chinese online travel platform Qunar shows that by 12:00 PM on Friday, searches for flights from Chinese cities to Istanbul had increased 7.3-fold compared to the previous week. Specifically, searches for flights to Antalya increased 2.3-fold, while searches for flights to Izmir more than tripled.
Trip.com data shows that after the announcement of the introduction of a visa-free regime, the growth rate in terms of user interest in traveling to Turkey exceeded 50%.
Türkiye is steadily strengthening its tourism ties with China. In May 2025, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on aviation, increasing the frequency of passenger flights from 21 to 49 per week.
Türkiye is a favorite destination among Chinese travelers, and its popularity is expected to increase further by 2025, said Yan Han, a research fellow at Qunar's Big Data Institute.
“The visa-free policy will reduce barriers to travel,” he said, adding that when combined with the upcoming nine-day Spring Festival holiday in 2026, it will significantly unlock demand for travel to Turkey from Chinese tourists, leading to a significant increase in travel to Turkey during this holiday period. -0-
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