Economic reportage from the Belt and Road News Network shows foreign arrivals to China during the extended Spring Festival holiday more than **doubled** year on year, buoyed by streamlined entry rules and social-media buzz about “celebrating Lunar New Year in China”. Published at 16:46 on 26 February, the analysis attributes part of the surge—460,000 visitors—to the newly expanded 30-day visa-free list. Key numbers – International visitors made 1.313 million cross-border trips over the nine-day break, a 21.8 % daily increase. Visa-free entrants averaged 51,000 per day, up 28.5 %.
![Inbound Tourism Doubles Under Visa-Free Policies as Holiday Spending Hits New Highs]()
Travel planners looking to navigate China’s rapidly evolving entry policies—whether they need a traditional visa, are eligible for the new 30-day exemption, or want advice on ancillary paperwork—can streamline the process through VisaHQ’s dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), which provides up-to-date requirements, digital application tools, and live support for individuals and corporate travel managers alike.
Domestic consumption kept pace: box-office takings reached CNY 5.75 billion and duty-free sales in Hainan soared 214 % on peak day. Mobility drivers – 1) Tax-refund kiosks now issue instant digital rebates at major malls, encouraging overseas shoppers to spend freely. 2) Airport experience upgrades, including English-language facial-recognition e-gates, reduced clearance times to under four minutes for visa-free passengers. 3) An explosion of AI-curated itineraries on platforms like Ctrip made multi-city routes easier to book. Strategic takeaways – Tourism boards from Spain to South Africa are ramping up promotions to leverage the easier access, betting that business travellers will extend trips for leisure. Analysts caution, however, that the December 2026 expiry date could create a cliff-edge effect; stakeholders are lobbying for permanent status. For corporates, the main win is traveller satisfaction: duty-free allowances now cover personal electronics, allowing executives to bring laptops purchased in China back home VAT-free—an often-overlooked perk.
Travel planners looking to navigate China’s rapidly evolving entry policies—whether they need a traditional visa, are eligible for the new 30-day exemption, or want advice on ancillary paperwork—can streamline the process through VisaHQ’s dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), which provides up-to-date requirements, digital application tools, and live support for individuals and corporate travel managers alike.
Domestic consumption kept pace: box-office takings reached CNY 5.75 billion and duty-free sales in Hainan soared 214 % on peak day. Mobility drivers – 1) Tax-refund kiosks now issue instant digital rebates at major malls, encouraging overseas shoppers to spend freely. 2) Airport experience upgrades, including English-language facial-recognition e-gates, reduced clearance times to under four minutes for visa-free passengers. 3) An explosion of AI-curated itineraries on platforms like Ctrip made multi-city routes easier to book. Strategic takeaways – Tourism boards from Spain to South Africa are ramping up promotions to leverage the easier access, betting that business travellers will extend trips for leisure. Analysts caution, however, that the December 2026 expiry date could create a cliff-edge effect; stakeholders are lobbying for permanent status. For corporates, the main win is traveller satisfaction: duty-free allowances now cover personal electronics, allowing executives to bring laptops purchased in China back home VAT-free—an often-overlooked perk.
