China's visa-free policy for 75 countries is bearing fruit in the first half of 2025, which is important to revive the local economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recently released data. The largest numbers are from South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and Russia.

The expansion of visa-free entry to China is starting to yield the results Beijing had hoped for. Results for the first half of 2025 show strong increases in the number of foreign tourists arriving at the country's main ports of entry compared to a year ago.

The growth is said to be driven by the growing number of countries accepted into the program, which allows visa-free entry into China for stays of up to 30 days. With the addition of Azerbaijan, the number will rise to 75 on July 16.

Since the beginning of the year, 1.4 million visitors have entered the country through Shanghai Airport alone without the need for a visa. If travelers from exempted countries are counted, the number reaches 2.6 million. This is a 44.8% increase compared to the same period last year.

At Beijing Airport, the number of visa-free arrivals was 840,000 (double compared to the first half of 2024), while Chengdu airport welcomed 287,000 arrivals, up 120%.