China’s tourism industry has seen a significant surge during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, with the number of inbound and outbound travelers exceeding 2 million per day on average. According to data released Monday by the National Immigration Administration, passenger traffic between October 1 and 6 reached its highest level in years.
Statistics show that major international airports such as Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou Baiyun, and Beijing Capital International Airport have witnessed steady increases in both domestic and international passenger numbers. The daily average is expected to reach 1.01 million domestic passengers, 51,000 outbound travelers, and 46,000 inbound travelers.
According to the Ministry of Transport, popular destinations including Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Chongqing are expected to record higher tourist volumes compared to the same period last year. Outbound tourism is also booming, with rising numbers of Chinese travelers heading to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries.
The Chinese government has continued to expand its visa-free policies. As of September 15, China has implemented unilateral visa-free entry for 47 countries and mutual visa-free agreements with 29 countries. Additionally, transit visa exemptions are now available for travelers from 55 countries, across 60 ports of entry, allowing up to 240 hours of visa-free stay, greatly facilitating travel to China.
In the first eight months of 2025, the total number of inbound and outbound foreign travelers reached 51.268 million, up 27.8% year-on-year. Among them, 15.89 million foreigners entered China visa-free — accounting for 62.1% of total foreign entries and marking a 52.1% increase from last year.
Further boosting tourism, South Korea introduced a visa-free entry policy for Chinese tour groups on September 29, while Russia implemented a visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens on September 15, resulting in a 75% increase in Russian tourist bookings to China during the holiday period.
On the payment front, UnionPay, Alipay, and WeChat Pay are now accepted in over 95% of major business districts and tourist attractions across China. By August, the number of tax refund shops for outbound tourists exceeded 1,000, with tax-refunded product sales growing 97.5% year-on-year in the first eight months. Bilingual (Chinese-English) services have also improved at shopping centers and scenic sites, and online ticket booking systems have become more user-friendly.
Tourism continues to play an irreplaceable role in China’s economic growth. Spending on accommodation, dining, transportation, and shopping directly fuels regional development. Meanwhile, inbound tourism helps reduce the trade deficit in travel services and promotes the high-quality development of the service trade. Foreign visitors’ consumption not only boosts national revenue but also encourages domestic industries to improve their standards — fostering mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, and shared prosperity between China and the world, injecting new vitality into the global economy.
Source: Cai Alim & Wang Haiman, China Media Group.