BEIJING: The combined effect of the Christmas and New Year holidays, facilitated by China’s convenient visa policies, has driven up the nation’s inbound tourism market and cross-border passenger flows, as data from multiple ports indicate that inbound passenger numbers have continued to rise in recent days, with market confidence and activity picking up markedly.
Bolstered by China’s visa-free policies as well as supporting measures to facilitate entry and exit, Shanghai Pudong International Airport has seen a peak in inbound foreign travelers, The Paper reported on Thursday.
Over the week since December 18, the number of inbound foreign nationals at Shanghai Pudong International Airport has continued to climb, averaging more than 19,000 arrivals per day, up 16 percent from the previous period, the media report said.
In terms of travel purpose, most foreign arrivals came for tourism or to visit relatives and friends. In terms of passenger composition, travelers from South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore have shown sustained growth, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all inbound foreign nationals, with the sharpest increase recorded among Malaysian travelers, the media report said.
Throughout 2025, the “China Travel” craze has continued to gain momentum and the topic frequently goes viral on overseas social media platforms, which convinced industry representatives that China’s inbound tourism is set to wrap up 2025 with robust data.
The latest upswing is driven not only by the continued optimization of policies, but also by changes in how overseas visitors perceive China, some industry representatives said. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
