Visa-free transit boosts foreign tourism, business in Guangzhou

As the end of Tuesday, immigration officers from the Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection in the capital of Guangdong province have handled about 24,000 eligible tourists who took advantage of China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy. The station released a statement on Wednesday, detailing statistics from the first year of China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy.

The figure represents an increase of 136.15 percent compared to the number of foreign nationals using the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy during the same period last year. The policy is paying off in attracting foreign business representatives and tourists.

Among the visa-free transit passengers, those from Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom represented a relatively high proportion. Nearly half of the travelers visited the southern metropolis for tourism purposes, with inbound and outbound passengers concentrated during peak periods for business and tourism in March, April, October, and November.

According to the statement, this trend "demonstrates the 240-hour visa-free transit policy's strong appeal and its positive impact on cultural tourism and commerce in Guangzhou".

Over the past year, the continuous deepening of policies has turned entry-exit ports in Guangzhou into a magnet for visitors coming to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for business and tourism.

Guangzhou ports witnessed a combined 521,000 international business people coming for the 137th and 138th China Import and Export Fairs in spring and fall, respectively. This figure represents a 33.6 percent increase compared with the previous two sessions in 2024 and is a record high.

In Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport alone, immigration officers handled more than 22,000 eligible visitors, representing a year-on-year increase of 125 percent compared with the number of travelers who utilized the 72/144-hour transit visa exemption last year.

These visits helped boost local consumption. According to statistics from Guangzhou's bureau of culture, radio, television and tourism, the country's southern gateway city received about four million overnight inbound tourists in the first three quarters, a year-on-year increase of 13.02 percent. Inbound cultural and tourism consumption reached $2.87 billion, a growth of 15.35 percent year-on-year.