China Expands Visa-Free Entry
Analysis based on 7 articles · First reported Jul 08, 2025 · Last updated Jul 08, 2025
The loosening of China's visa policy is expected to significantly boost the tourism and hospitality sectors, as evidenced by the doubling of bookings for Trip.com Group and a 50% business increase for WildChina. This influx of foreign visitors will contribute positively to China's economy.
China has significantly expanded its visa-free entry policy, now allowing citizens from 74 countries to enter for up to 30 days without a visa, with Azerbaijan to be added on July 16. This move aims to boost tourism and the economy, which saw over 20 million visa-free visitors in 2024. Travel companies like WildChina and Trip.com Group are reporting substantial increases in business and bookings. While most of Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East are included, some countries like the United States and Canada are only eligible for a 10-day transit policy. Sweden and the United Kingdom are notable high-income European countries not on the 30-day list, with Sweden's exclusion linked to strained ties following the imprisonment of Gui Minhai by the China — Chinese Communist Party.
Set up alerts, explore entity relationships, search across thousands of events, and build custom intelligence feeds.
Open Dashboard