China’s visitor numbers for the first half of 2026, and what they mean for your trip
Photo: Hanson Lu / Unsplash
China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) published its first-half figures for 2026 in July. The short version: more foreigners are coming, most of them without a visa, and the growth hasn't slowed much from last year's jump.
| Period | Figure | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| 2025, full year | Over 82 million foreign entries and exits | +26.4% |
| 2025, visa-free entries | About 30.1 million | +49.5% |
| 2026, first half | 45.91 million foreign entries and exits | +20.6% |
| 2026 H1, foreign entries only | 22.91 million | +20.4% |
| 2026 H1, visa-free entries | 17.82 million (77.7% of foreign entries) | +30.6% |
First, what these numbers actually count
"Entries and exits" are border crossings, not people. A tourist who flies in and out once counts twice. A Hong Kong-based businessperson who pops over to Shenzhen every week counts dozens of times. So 45.91 million crossings is not 45.91 million visitors.
The figure closer to "how many foreign trips" is the inbound one: 22.91 million foreign entries in six months. For 2025 as a whole, Bloomberg, citing the National Bureau of Statistics, put foreign tourist arrivals at about 35 million. Different agencies, different definitions. When you see two numbers that don't match in headlines, this is usually why.
Who's coming
The top ten source countries in the first half of 2026 were South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the US, Japan, Mongolia and Australia. Together they made up 62% of foreign entries.
Most of that list is neighbors. Seoul to Shanghai is a shorter flight than New York to Chicago, and a lot of Korean and Southeast Asian visitors treat a Chinese city the way Europeans treat a weekend in Barcelona. Russia climbed after visa-free entry for Russian citizens began in September 2025.
The US is the outlier: it's on the list despite not being covered by the 30-day visa-free deal. Americans need a visa or use the 240-hour transit route. The Bloomberg report also noted that limited flight capacity is still holding the US market back.
What it looks like on the ground
The clearest sign is at the big airports. On 20 April 2026, Shanghai's Pudong airport handled more than 25,000 inbound foreign travelers in a single day, a record, according to the Shanghai government. The city says it now opens extra inspection lanes ahead of peaks and runs a volunteer help service in 13 languages.
Smaller cities are feeling it too. Chongqing's airport reported foreign entries and exits up 86% in the first half of 2026, which is what happens when a city goes viral (more on that in the IShowSpeed effect).
My take: the infrastructure is mostly keeping up. Payments, apps and hotel check-in all work far better for foreigners than they did three years ago. What hasn't scaled at the same speed is the human side: English-speaking guides in smaller cities, staff who've handled a foreign passport before, quiet time slots at the famous sights.
What it means if you're planning a trip
- Book trains earlier than old guides suggest. On busy routes around holidays, popular departures go days ahead. See how to book.
- Big sights need reservations. Places like the Forbidden City sell out on popular days, and you book with your passport number. Do it as soon as your dates are fixed.
- Avoid Chinese holiday weeks if you can. The National Day week in early October, May Day (1 to 5 May) and Spring Festival are when domestic travel peaks. Foreign arrivals stack on top of that.
- Expect a short wait at immigration. Fill in the online arrival card before you land, and keep your onward ticket and hotel booking handy if you're entering visa-free.
- Distrust anything written before 2024. Card linking in Alipay, English in Amap, online registration, hotels taking foreigners: a lot changed, quickly.
Quick questions
Does more tourists mean China is getting crowded?
Only in specific places at specific times. Foreign visitors are still a small share of total travelers here. Domestic holidays matter far more for crowds than foreign arrivals do.
Will the visa-free numbers keep growing?
That depends partly on whether the 30-day arrangement is extended past 31 December 2026. I track that in the deadline post.
Where do these figures come from?
The NIA publishes half-year and full-year data in English on its website. It's the most direct source, and I'd trust it over secondhand summaries.
Sources: National Immigration Administration, Jul 2026; Xinhua (via Henan government), Jan 2026; China Daily, Jul 2026; Business Today, citing Bloomberg, Aug 2026; Shanghai government, Apr 2026; Chongqing government, Aug 2026; TASS, Sep 2026.
If something here has changed, email me. I re-check every guide and update the date at the top.
Written by David, who lives in China. About me