The Paper's "China Destination" inbound-tourism briefing (No. 10) analyzes who is actually visiting China since the 240-hour transit visa-free policy was fully relaxed in December 2024.
Headline data. In the first half of 2025, ports nationwide handled 38.053 million foreign crossings, up 30.2% year on year; visa-free entries reached 13.64 million, up 53.9%. Policy-eligible countries and ports kept expanding (55 transit visa-free countries, 60 ports across 24 provinces at the time of writing).
Three features of the new landscape.
- Polarization. Nearby markets recovered fastest — Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are at or above pre-pandemic levels — while Europe and the US remain below 30% of 2019 volumes, and Japan/Korea are still short of full recovery.
- Diversification. Emerging markets are growing alongside traditional ones, widening the source-country mix.
- Policy as the engine. Visa facilitation is the single strongest driver of the rebound.
Market snapshots. In Shanghai, H1 2025 arrivals included about 424,000 South Koreans (+130.7%) and 291,000 Japanese (+58.5%). Southeast Asian travelers increasingly make weekend-style short trips. Gulf Cooperation Council countries jumped after June 2025 visa waivers: overall inbound orders +100% in the first quarter, with Saudi Arabia up 235% — and, guides note, Middle Eastern visitors often buy hanfu outright rather than renting. Central Asia grows steadily on Belt-and-Road business and cultural exchange.
One friction point to fix. Foreign visitors want to try China's bike-share systems, but app download and payment-binding hurdles still block the full experience — many need a guide's help.
Source: "中国目的地·入境游简报010｜入境客源国新画像解析", The Paper, September 19, 2025. Translated and condensed from Chinese; all data as reported by the source.