China’s foreign tourist arrivals grow by 20% in the first half of 2026
China Tourism representative image
18 million visitors are reported to have arrived from countries covered under China’s visa-free entry programme.
China is reportedly seeing a strong rebound in international tourism, with foreign visitor arrivals rising sharply as expanded visa-free access, improved air connectivity, and targeted promotional efforts attract more overseas travellers.
According to data reported by Bloomberg News, foreign tourist arrivals grew by 20% in the first half of 2026, with 18 million visitors arriving from countries covered under China’s visa-free entry programme.
The latest figures indicate a significant recovery in China’s inbound tourism market after several years of pandemic-related disruption. The country welcomed around 35 million international visitors in 2025, reflecting a steady improvement in overseas travel demand.
Visa liberalisation has become one of the key drivers of this recovery. A large share of international travellers entering China, more than 70%, last year reportedly used visa-free entry arrangements, highlighting the growing impact of easier travel access on inbound tourism.
China began gradually expanding visa-free access for selected international markets in 2023 as part of efforts to revive tourism and restore global travel connections. The initial recovery remained moderate, with international flight capacity taking time to recover and lingering perceptions linked to China’s earlier Covid-related restrictions affecting demand.
The pace of recovery has strengthened in recent months, with South Korea, Russia, Malaysia and Thailand emerging among the strongest-performing source markets. Beijing has also recorded increasing visitor arrivals from Vietnam and Russia, while arrivals from Japan have declined amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
