The number of foreign travelers coming to China under the country's visa-free policies doubled in 2024 compared to 2023.

Agencies responsible for cross-border inspections accounted for 64.88 million trips by foreigners; an 82.9 percent leap from the year prior (2023). Among those, more than 20 million inbound trips were made visa-free—an area that saw an even more impressive uptick of 112.3 percent on the year. China, in total and by all means of travel—not just the air, land, or sea that those crossing through border agencies would tend to use—logged something like 610 million individual entries and exits in 2024. That was a 43.9 percent jump from the year before.

Also, about 2.6 million visas were issued to non-Chinese individuals in 2024, a 52.3 percent increase over the previous year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had basically normalized visa services for foreigners, which in 2024 provided many opportunities for foreign nationals to visit China that were not available in 2023.  

The increase in travel is a trend that is also extending to the people living in mainland China. In 2024, almost 23.32 million passports were issued to Chinese citizens—a yearly growth surge of 26.5 percent. Furthermore, over 94.5 million travel permits or other documents were given to people heading to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan, which is a 9.8 percent increase over 2023 figures.

The data show that China's broadened visa-free programs and push for greater openness are paying off and being appreciated among international travelers.