Türkiye has officially waived tourist and transit visas for holders of ordinary Chinese passports, allowing stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The decision, signed into law on 2 January and confirmed by the Turkish Interior Ministry on 6 January, immediately removed the single biggest barrier facing Chinese leisure and business travellers.
Industry response has been swift. Major online travel agencies such as Trip.com and Fliggy reported triple-digit week-on-week increases in Antalya, Cappadocia and Istanbul searches within 48 hours of the announcement, while China Southern and Hainan Airlines said they will up-gauge several Beijing-Istanbul and Guangzhou-Istanbul rotations before the Lunar New Year peak. Large inbound operators, including Istanbul-based Ligarba Travel, told Xinhua that bookings for March – May are already “well above” 2019 levels.
China was Türkiye’s fastest-growing long-haul source market before the pandemic, but visitor numbers collapsed after 2020. The new policy is expected to restore that trajectory. Turkish hoteliers estimate each Chinese visitor stays an average of nine nights and spends US$1,800—nearly twice the European average—making the segment strategically important as Türkiye targets US$60 billion in tourism receipts for 2026.
![Türkiye’s New Visa-Free Regime Sparks Wave of Chinese Bookings]()
Even though no Turkish visa is now required, many Chinese travelers will still need paperwork for onward legs of their journey—whether that’s a Schengen country, the UK or another regional stop. VisaHQ’s dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides a quick, guided application process, document pick-up and real-time tracking for visas to more than 200 destinations, helping passengers stay compliant without the usual consular headaches.
For corporate mobility managers, the waiver eliminates lead times for business-meeting travel and removes consular costs. Companies with China-based staff should still advise travellers to carry proof of accommodation, return tickets and sufficient funds, as Turkish border officers may request them. Travellers planning onward journeys to the Schengen Area must also ensure they have the necessary visas because the Turkish waiver does not confer Schengen entry.
Analysts see the move as part of a wider rapprochement: the two countries mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, and Ankara hopes easier people-to-people links will accelerate RMB-denominated trade settlement and Chinese investment in Turkey’s logistics and energy sectors.
Industry response has been swift. Major online travel agencies such as Trip.com and Fliggy reported triple-digit week-on-week increases in Antalya, Cappadocia and Istanbul searches within 48 hours of the announcement, while China Southern and Hainan Airlines said they will up-gauge several Beijing-Istanbul and Guangzhou-Istanbul rotations before the Lunar New Year peak. Large inbound operators, including Istanbul-based Ligarba Travel, told Xinhua that bookings for March – May are already “well above” 2019 levels.
China was Türkiye’s fastest-growing long-haul source market before the pandemic, but visitor numbers collapsed after 2020. The new policy is expected to restore that trajectory. Turkish hoteliers estimate each Chinese visitor stays an average of nine nights and spends US$1,800—nearly twice the European average—making the segment strategically important as Türkiye targets US$60 billion in tourism receipts for 2026.
Even though no Turkish visa is now required, many Chinese travelers will still need paperwork for onward legs of their journey—whether that’s a Schengen country, the UK or another regional stop. VisaHQ’s dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides a quick, guided application process, document pick-up and real-time tracking for visas to more than 200 destinations, helping passengers stay compliant without the usual consular headaches.
For corporate mobility managers, the waiver eliminates lead times for business-meeting travel and removes consular costs. Companies with China-based staff should still advise travellers to carry proof of accommodation, return tickets and sufficient funds, as Turkish border officers may request them. Travellers planning onward journeys to the Schengen Area must also ensure they have the necessary visas because the Turkish waiver does not confer Schengen entry.
Analysts see the move as part of a wider rapprochement: the two countries mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, and Ankara hopes easier people-to-people links will accelerate RMB-denominated trade settlement and Chinese investment in Turkey’s logistics and energy sectors.
