During this year’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad increased significantly across various countries. Many nations have adopted facilitative policies to attract Chinese visitors. Observers note that Chinese tourism abroad not only enhances mutual cultural exchange but also injects new economic vitality into local economies, playing a positive role in global economic growth.
To welcome Chinese tourists, Thailand’s National Tourism Bureau launched the “China-Thailand Friendship Month” program, running from September through December. According to Thai media forecasts, 180,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit Thailand between September 26 and October 8, with the number potentially exceeding 200,000.
Serbia, as one of the early European countries implementing visa-free policies for Chinese tourists, has also attracted growing numbers of visitors in recent years. During this year’s National Day holidays, Chinese tourists booked extensively with Serbian travel agencies, restaurants, and hotels. Yang Xiaoliang, General Manager of Balkan Yuetchi Travel, said: “We have organized a total of 20 tour groups for the holiday period, with over 90% booking rate.”
The number of countries offering visa-free access for Chinese tourists continues to grow. Many countries are increasingly providing Chinese-language services and implementing measures to facilitate travel and enhance visitor experiences.
On September 29, South Korea formally implemented a temporary visa-free entry policy for Chinese group tourists. Huang Hyo-jin, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Welfare of Incheon, stated that the policy makes sightseeing easier for people of both countries and strengthens relations between South Korea and China, describing it as a new opportunity to build mutual trust.
Observers believe that during the National Day holidays, Chinese tourists help energize tourism, consumption, and service sectors worldwide. Since the introduction of mutual visa-free access between China and Singapore in February 2024, China has become Singapore’s largest source of tourists, with nearly 2.3 million Chinese visitors arriving in the first eight months of this year. Chinese tourists play a key role for Singapore’s hotels, attractions, retail, and airports.
Malaysia will celebrate the Tourism Year 2026, aiming to attract 47 million foreign tourists and generate 32.9 billion Ringgit in international tourism revenue. Li Thai Khang, Deputy Director of Malaysia’s National Tourism Bureau, said that rising numbers of Chinese tourists will help Malaysia achieve these targets and strengthen economic and commercial ties between the two countries.
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, emphasized that China makes an important contribution to the development of global tourism, particularly in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, where Chinese visitors support small businesses and local livelihoods.
Source: Cai Alim & Wang Haiman, China Media Group.