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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
BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) — China's strong growth in international tourist arrivals continued in the third quarter of 2025, driven largely by the continued expansion of the country's visa-free entry policy.
From July to September this year, foreign citizens made 7.246 million visa-free trips to China, up 48.3 percent from the same period last year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration released Thursday.
Visa-free entry accounted for 72.2 percent of all entries by foreign citizens, the department reported.
In recent years, China has steadily expanded its visa-free entry policy for foreigners. Tourists from 76 countries can now enjoy unilateral or reciprocal visa-free travel, while citizens of another 55 countries can visit China visa-free for up to 10 days in transit before departing for a third destination.
Russia is the latest country to be added to China's visa-free entry list. Since this policy came into effect on September 15, the number of Russians entering China has increased significantly.
Russian tourist Anna Ivanova, who arrived at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China, expressed surprise at the speed of entry procedures.
She said the entire process took her only about 20 minutes, from disembarking the plane to completing all the formalities. Traveling to China has become very convenient thanks to the visa-free policy.
According to a report from travel platform Trip.com, during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays in early October, visa-free entry policies and enhanced travel facilitation measures contributed to a surge in inbound tourism. Countries such as the Republic of Korea, the United States, Russia, Japan, and Malaysia were among the top sources of foreign visitors.
Since this year's Korean holiday, Chuseok, coincided with the eight-day weekend in China, bookings for trips from Kazakhstan to China during this period jumped by 200 percent, and the hashtag "flying to China right after work on Friday" became a trend on social media in Kazakhstan.
Moon Joon-in, a professor emeritus at Yonsei University in Seoul, said China's visa-free entry policy gives young Koreans more opportunities to learn about China, the Chinese people, and Chinese culture.
“I hope that the Korean side can also ease restrictions so that the Chinese people can better understand Korean culture and its people,” he added.
According to the National Immigration Administration of China, the number of cross-border trips by foreigners soared by 21.6 percent to 1.43 million during the holiday. A total of 751,000 foreigners entered China, including 535,000 visa-free, representing year-on-year increases of 19.8 percent and 46.8 percent, respectively.
Many foreign tourists celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival by immersing themselves in Chinese traditions such as mooncake making, lantern making, and moonlight strolls in traditional attire, fully experiencing the vibrant local atmosphere.
“By opening its doors to foreign tourists, China is sending a clear message: come, see, and experience,” said Biljana Vankovska, professor of international relations and peace studies at the Institute for Security, Defense, and Peace at the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in North Macedonia.
In the future, China will continue to make efforts to facilitate entry by adding more countries to its visa-free entry list and providing high-quality products, diversified options and convenient services to more international friends, a Chinese government spokesperson said. -0-
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