CCTV News: On December 17, 2024, my country extended the original 72-hour and 144-hour transit visa-free policy to 240 hours. Within one year, the policy dividends covering 24 domestic provinces and 65 ports were fully released, promoting the depth and breadth of inbound consumption.
The latest statistics from the National Immigration Administration show that since the implementation of the policy, as of December 16, 40.6 million foreigners have entered the country at various ports, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%. Among them, the number of people who have passed the 240-hour transit visa exemption has increased by 60.8% year-on-year compared with before the policy optimization.
Driven by the 240-hour transit visa-free policy and the policy to facilitate cross-regional travel for foreigners, inbound tourism has shown new characteristics such as diversified tourist sources, individualized travel methods, niche destinations, and lifestyle-oriented experience content. At present, it has become fashionable for foreign inbound tourists to play in the snow in the Northeast and purchase goods in the South. In-depth tours in the Yangtze River Delta, in-depth tours on the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan-Chongqing Southwest Grand Ring Road, and more cross-regional tourism booms have turned into strong consumption momentum.
The facilitated entry policy also forms a "golden combination" with departure tax refund. As of the end of August, there were more than 10,000 departure tax refund stores nationwide, three times the number at the end of 2024. The scale of departure tax refund in the first three quarters increased 22 times year-on-year. Inbound shopping categories have also changed from single tourist souvenirs to intangible cultural heritage and electronic products. Commercial districts such as Nanjing Road in Shanghai and Gulangyu Island in Xiamen have launched “buy now and get refund immediately”, and more than 60% of the tax refunds are directly converted into secondary consumption. The average length of stay of tourists has also been extended from the previous 5.3 days to 7.8 days, and consumption of accommodation, catering and other items has increased by 85%.
