China Bets on Visa Waivers to Get Tourism Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels
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Photo: Xiinhua
(Poder360) ― The decision this May to grant Brazilians visa-free entry for up to 30 days is part of the Chinese government’s strategy to bring international tourism back to its pre-2019 levels — the year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an effort to recover the number of foreign visitors, the Chinese government began easing its visa exemption policy. Before 2023, tourists from just six countries could stay for 30 days without a visa. Today, that number has risen to 43.
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- China expanded its 30-day visa-free policy from 6 to 43 countries between Nov 2023 and May 2024, including Brazil and other South American nations.
- Foreign tourist numbers in China rose to 26.9 million in 2024, approaching the 2019 pre-pandemic level of 31.9 million.
- After the visa waiver, Brazilian travel demand to China increased by 430% between May 16 and June 27, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.
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Who’s Who
- Poder360
- Poder360 is a source that originally published the article in Portuguese on June 30. This article was then translated and republished by Caixin Global through a content-sharing agreement. The content itself discusses China's visa-free entry policy for Brazilians and its strategy to revive international tourism.
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Folha de S.Paulo is a newspaper that reported on the increase in demand for travel packages to China from the travel agency CVC. Since China introduced a 30-day visa waiver, CVC saw a 430% surge in demand for travel packages between May 16 and June 27, compared to the same period last year.
- CVC
- CVC is a travel agency that reported a significant surge in demand for travel packages to China. Following China's introduction of a 30-day visa waiver for Brazilians, CVC saw a 430% increase in demand for these packages between May 16 and June 27, compared to the same period in the previous year.
- Caixin Global
- Caixin Global is a media outlet that has a content-sharing arrangement with Poder360. They translated and republished an article from Poder360 discussing China's visa exemption strategy to boost tourism.
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What Happened When
- 2019：
- China recorded 31.9 million foreign tourists, including about 150,000 from Brazil, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 2020-2022：
- Foreign tourist numbers in China dropped drastically during the pandemic, causing an estimated $200 billion loss.
- 2022：
- China received a historic low of 1.5 million foreign tourists.
- Before 2023：
- Only tourists from 6 countries could stay in China for 30 days without a visa.
- November 2023：
- China began expanding its unilateral 30-day visa-free policy beyond the initial 6 countries.
- By 2024：
- China received 26.9 million foreign visitors, moving closer to pre-pandemic levels.
- April 2025：
- The China Tourism Academy reported that visa-exempt countries showed the fastest recovery in tourist numbers compared to 2019.
- May 2025：
- China decided to grant Brazilians visa-free entry for up to 30 days and expanded its visa-free list to 43 countries.
- Between May 16, 2025 and June 27, 2025：
- Demand for travel packages to China from Brazil surged by 430% compared to the same period in 2024.
- June 30, 2025：
- The article was originally published in Portuguese by Poder360.
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