China's cross-border trips exceed 141m in Q1, doubled from last year

China's inbound and outbound trips exceeded 141 million in the first quarter of 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 117.8 percent, China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Thursday.

The number of cross-border trips made by foreign nationals reached over 13 million, the NIA said.

In the first quarter, the number of foreign nationals coming to China more than tripled compared to the same period in 2023, according to a spokesperson for the NIA. 

Foreign visitors to China mainly came from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, as well as neighboring countries such as Russia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mongolia and Laos, and East and Southeast Asian countries such as South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, the spokesperson said.

Foreign nationals came to China mostly for the purpose of traveling, accounting for more than 30 percent, followed by business, visiting friends and relatives, work and study, the spokesperson added.

China announced new measures this year to facilitate foreigners coming to China for business, study and tourism, including the relaxation of visa application conditions.

Starting from January 11, foreign nationals who are in urgent need of doing business, exchanges, investment and other non-diplomatic and non-official activities, but are unable to obtain a visa overseas in time, can apply for a port visa to enter China by presenting relevant supporting documents.

China in March also extended its visa-free entry policy to six more countries, namely Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.