A resurgent inbound market gave China’s tourism and retail sectors an unexpected windfall over the New Year long weekend. Ministry of Transport data show 595 million domestic passenger journeys between 1 and 3 January, while border officers handled 6.61 million crossings—both record highs for the holiday.
The bigger surprise was the spending power of foreign visitors. Alipay and WeChat Pay reported a 43 percent jump in transactions linked to overseas bank cards compared with the 2025 New Year period, thanks largely to recent upgrades that let tourists bind Visa and Mastercard within minutes. Shopping districts from Beijing’s Qianmen to Hainan’s duty-free malls logged double-digit sales growth; Haikou Customs said offshore duty-free sales hit ¥712 million, up 129 percent year-on-year.
Analysts attribute the boom to a cocktail of policy changes rolled out over the past 14 months: unilateral 30-day visa waivers for 45 countries; 240-hour transit freedom across 65 ports; and nationwide acceptance of foreign cards at three-star hotels, 5A attractions and major public-transport hubs. Those measures have lowered both administrative and payment frictions just as international carriers restore capacity on China routes.
![Inbound tourism boom: China’s New Year holiday sees record foreign spend and mobility]()
For travelers and mobility teams sorting through these shifting entry rules, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the bureaucratic burden. Its dedicated China page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks the latest waiver lists, transit policies, and document requirements, and can file applications online or arrange courier pickups for passports when a traditional visa is still needed—letting visitors focus on their itineraries instead of paperwork.
For global HR teams, the trend matters in two ways. First, assignees arriving on look-and-see or home-search trips can now pay for taxis, meals and SIM cards with their existing wallets—making short-term stays easier to manage on expense systems. Second, the rebound tightens hotel availability in tier-one cities; travel managers should lock in corporate rates early for the Lunar New Year peak.
Industry insiders expect momentum to carry into the high-volume Spring Festival travel rush starting 15 February. Ctrip is already seeing a 220 percent rise in inbound flight searches for that week, led by Southeast Asia and Australia.
The bigger surprise was the spending power of foreign visitors. Alipay and WeChat Pay reported a 43 percent jump in transactions linked to overseas bank cards compared with the 2025 New Year period, thanks largely to recent upgrades that let tourists bind Visa and Mastercard within minutes. Shopping districts from Beijing’s Qianmen to Hainan’s duty-free malls logged double-digit sales growth; Haikou Customs said offshore duty-free sales hit ¥712 million, up 129 percent year-on-year.
Analysts attribute the boom to a cocktail of policy changes rolled out over the past 14 months: unilateral 30-day visa waivers for 45 countries; 240-hour transit freedom across 65 ports; and nationwide acceptance of foreign cards at three-star hotels, 5A attractions and major public-transport hubs. Those measures have lowered both administrative and payment frictions just as international carriers restore capacity on China routes.
For travelers and mobility teams sorting through these shifting entry rules, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the bureaucratic burden. Its dedicated China page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks the latest waiver lists, transit policies, and document requirements, and can file applications online or arrange courier pickups for passports when a traditional visa is still needed—letting visitors focus on their itineraries instead of paperwork.
For global HR teams, the trend matters in two ways. First, assignees arriving on look-and-see or home-search trips can now pay for taxis, meals and SIM cards with their existing wallets—making short-term stays easier to manage on expense systems. Second, the rebound tightens hotel availability in tier-one cities; travel managers should lock in corporate rates early for the Lunar New Year peak.
Industry insiders expect momentum to carry into the high-volume Spring Festival travel rush starting 15 February. Ctrip is already seeing a 220 percent rise in inbound flight searches for that week, led by Southeast Asia and Australia.
