China Teams Up with South Korea, Malaysia and Others as Record 369 Million Border Crossings and Expanded Visa-Free Entry Ignite a Powerful Tourism Revival

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China has gone hand in hand with South Korea, Malaysia and other major international markets in delivering one of Asia’s most significant travel recoveries of 2026.

Official figures released by China’s National Immigration Administration, or NIA, show that immigration authorities processed 369 million inbound and outbound border crossings during the first half of 2026.

The total represented a 10.8% increase from the same six-month period in 2025 and marked the highest first-half result recorded by the country.

The figure includes journeys made by Chinese mainland residents, people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreign nationals. It should therefore not be described solely as international tourist arrivals.

However, the foreign-entry figures within the wider total show that China’s inbound travel market is expanding rapidly.

Foreign nationals made 45.91 million inbound and outbound trips, an increase of 20.6% year on year. Inbound trips by foreign nationals reached 22.91 million, rising by 20.4%.

The strongest indication of the impact of China’s entry reforms is that 17.82 million foreign entries were visa-free. These represented 77.7% of all inbound trips by foreign nationals and increased by 30.6% compared with the first half of 2025.

China’s 2026 Border Figures at a Glance

The official results demonstrate that simplified entry procedures are now a central part of China’s tourism and international-connectivity strategy.

South Korea and Malaysia Lead China’s Foreign Source Markets

China’s National Immigration Administration also identified the ten largest countries of origin for inbound foreign travellers during the first half of 2026.

They were:

• South Korea
• Russia
• Malaysia
• Vietnam
• Thailand
• Singapore
• United States
• Japan
• Mongolia
• Australia

Together, travellers from these ten countries accounted for 62% of all foreign entries.

This list shows the continuing importance of regional travel to China’s inbound market. South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Mongolia all benefit from relatively short journey times, business connections and extensive cultural or family links with China.

Russia also remains an important neighbouring market, while the United States and Australia demonstrate that long-haul demand is also recovering.

The results do not include Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan within the foreign-national source-market ranking. Their crossings are counted separately in the NIA’s broader border data.

Visa-Free Entry Has Become the Main Driver of Recovery

China has expanded visa facilitation steadily as part of a wider effort to encourage business exchanges, tourism and international mobility.

As of 17 February 2026, the National Immigration Administration listed 50 countries under China’s unilateral visa-exemption arrangements.

The official list covered:

• 35 European countries
• Seven Asian countries
• Six countries in the Americas
• Australia
• New Zealand

Eligible ordinary-passport holders can generally enter China without obtaining a visa for stays of up to 30 days.

Permitted purposes include tourism, business, family and friend visits, exchanges and transit.

The countries covered include major tourism markets such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

The addition of the United Kingdom and Canada from 17 February 2026 further widened the reach of the scheme.

This framework is separate from China’s mutual visa-waiver agreements and its regional entry arrangements, which may apply to additional travellers under different conditions.

The 240-Hour Transit Programme Supports Stopover Tourism

China has also expanded its 240-hour visa-free transit policy, allowing eligible travellers to stay for up to ten days while travelling through China to a third country or region.

Under the official rules introduced from November 2025, the programme covered citizens of 55 countries.

Eligible passengers could enter through 65 approved ports across 24 provincial-level regions, provided they held valid travel documents and confirmed onward arrangements to a third destination.

The programme covers major gateways such as:

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Guangzhou
• Shenzhen
• Chengdu
• Chongqing
• Xi’an
• Hangzhou
• Nanjing
• Qingdao
• Xiamen
• Kunming
• Wuhan
• Sanya

During the permitted stay, eligible travellers may participate in tourism, business activities, family visits and other approved activities.

The system creates new opportunities for stopover tourism. A traveller flying from one country to another can potentially add several days in China without completing a conventional visa application, provided the journey meets all official transit conditions.

This may support hotels, domestic transport, restaurants and attractions in gateway cities.

Easier Arrival Procedures Are Reducing Administrative Barriers

China has introduced additional measures to make the entry process more convenient.

From November 2025, foreign travellers were allowed to complete arrival-card information online before reaching the border.

The digital form can be accessed through official National Immigration Administration channels, including its website, government service platform and mobile services.

Travellers unable to complete the process in advance can still submit the information at the port of entry through digital devices, QR-code systems or paper forms.

This change reduces paperwork at immigration counters and helps border authorities process growing passenger volumes more efficiently.

China has also expanded intelligent clearance facilities and introduced new entry ports under its transit programme.

Payment Services Are Becoming Easier for International Visitors

Payment access was previously one of the most common difficulties reported by foreign travellers in China.

Many local transactions depend heavily on mobile payment systems. International tourists without Chinese bank accounts sometimes found it difficult to use the same services as residents.

Chinese authorities have responded with measures intended to make payments more accessible.

Official government guidance states that overseas visitors can use bank cards, cash and mobile payment services.

Foreign users can link eligible international cards, including Visa and Mastercard, to platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.

In February 2026, Chinese authorities issued further guidelines aimed at improving digital services for overseas visitors.

The measures call for:

• Better support for overseas electronic wallets
• More accessible telecommunication services
• Expanded multilingual digital platforms
• Improved tourism, dining and shopping services
• Easier access to digital public information

The guidelines were issued jointly by several authorities, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People’s Bank of China.

These improvements are important because easier payments can directly influence how much international visitors spend in shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions.

Tourism Growth Supports Hotels, Railways and Retail

The rapid expansion in foreign entries has implications across China’s tourism economy.

International visitors generate demand for:

• Hotels and other accommodation
• Restaurants and food services
• Museums and cultural landmarks
• Domestic flights
• High-speed rail services
• Retail and tax-refund shopping
• Cruise terminals
• Guided tours
• Meetings and exhibitions
• Business travel services

Beijing and Shanghai remain major international gateways, but visa-free transit and broader entry policies can help distribute travellers to other cities.

Xi’an attracts visitors through its imperial history and the Terracotta Warriors. Chengdu combines cultural tourism with access to Sichuan’s natural attractions. Guangzhou and Shenzhen benefit from business, trade and urban tourism, while Sanya is positioned as a tropical leisure destination.

China’s extensive high-speed rail network also makes it easier for overseas visitors to combine several destinations during one journey.

Tourism Has Become Part of China’s Wider Opening-Up Policy

The inbound-travel push has significance beyond the tourism industry.

Chinese authorities view easier international movement as a way to support trade, investment, cultural exchange and broader economic opening.

Visa-free entry can encourage business travellers to attend trade fairs, exhibitions and corporate meetings without lengthy application procedures.

It can also enable travellers to form their own impressions of China through direct experience.

The policy therefore supports both tourism consumption and international engagement.

The NIA’s 12367 immigration-service hotline handled 3.68 million enquiries from people across more than 100 countries and regions during the first half of 2026. The authority reported an average satisfaction rate of 99%.

Strong Growth Does Not Mean All 369 Million Trips Were Tourists

The scale of the headline number requires careful explanation.

The 369 million crossings include arrivals and departures made by several categories of travellers. They cover Chinese mainland residents, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and foreign nationals.

They also include tourism, business, family, transit and other permitted journeys.

Therefore, the number should not be reported as 369 million foreign tourists or international arrivals.

The clearest indicator of foreign inbound demand is the 22.91 million inbound trips by foreign nationals, of which 17.82 million were visa-free.

This distinction is important for maintaining statistical accuracy while still showing the exceptional strength of China’s travel recovery.

China Is Rebuilding Its Position in Asian Tourism

The first-half results show that China has re-established itself as one of Asia’s fastest-growing inbound travel markets.

Its recovery is being supported by three closely connected developments:

• Broader visa-free access
• Longer visa-free transit stays
• Improvements to digital and payment services

Regional markets are leading the expansion, but demand from the United States, Australia and major European countries is also becoming more important.

Challenges remain. International air capacity has not returned equally across every market, language barriers persist in some destinations, and travellers must still check eligibility requirements carefully.

Nevertheless, the official data show that China’s entry reforms are producing measurable results.

With foreign entries up more than 20% and visa-free arrivals rising by over 30%, China enters the second half of 2026 with strong momentum.

The combination of simplified border procedures, extensive transport infrastructure and a broader range of visa-free options is likely to support further growth across tourism, business travel and international exchange.