China expands visa-free policy, increases inbound tourism growth

China expands visa-free policy, boChina has announced that it will expand the scope of its unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. The policy will be implemented on a trial basis.

Effective from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, people holding ordinary passports from the aforementioned countries can visit China for business, leisure and transit, visiting for up to 15 days without a visa. This new policy is expected to facilitate more accessible travel and promote closer ties between China and the countries involved.

The move is also expected to promote the recovery of the Chinese inbound tourism market. In the first ten months of 2023, Trip.com already saw four-digit growth in visitor numbers when compared with the same period in 2022. This equates to more than 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Data further shows that Malaysia and Germany are among the top 10 sources of inbound tourism over the same period.