September's cooler weather and the expanded 240-hour transit visa-free policy — now covering 57 countries — have pushed Beijing's inbound tourism to new highs, CCTV reports.
The numbers. Since September, Beijing ports have averaged 15,300 foreign arrivals per day, up 22.4% from August; September 7 alone saw more than 17,000 arrivals, this year's single-day record. As of September 18, 70% of foreign arrivals at Beijing ports entered under visa-free or temporary-entry permit policies. From January to August, Beijing received 4.488 million inbound visitors, up 33.5% year on year (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism).
From sightseeing to "living like a local." Tour operators report longer stays — Beijing itineraries that used to run three days now stretch to four, five, even seven — and deeper experiences: hutong walks, home-visited dumpling dinners, paper-cutting and shadow-puppet workshops, cycling along the Central Axis, and ginkgo-viewing in autumn. Visitors' immersive routes now extend beyond the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven to the China National Arts and Crafts Museum, Chaoyang Park and the Liangma riverfront.
Supporting services. Beijing has implemented roughly 30-minute fast clearance at entry, counts more than 2,000 departure tax-refund stores (over 60 offering instant refunds), and has released "New Discoveries in Beijing" plus must-buy/must-eat lists for overseas visitors.
Source: "像中国人一样生活"圈粉海外游客 入境游持续升温, CCTV News, September 21, 2026. Translated from Chinese; all data as reported by the source.