Foreign tourist arrivals at Beijing’s two international airports are climbing sharply as the capital enjoys its first full autumn travel season since China lifted pandemic-era controls. According to figures released by the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection on 22 September, an average of 15,300 foreigners entered the city each day during the first 18 days of the month – a 22.4 per cent jump on the August average, and the highest level this year. Single-day arrivals peaked at 17,000 on 7 September. Officials credit the momentum to the nationwide extension of China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit scheme to 57 countries. Travellers holding onward tickets to third-country destinations can now enter via 60 ports across 24 provinces, but Beijing and neighbouring Tianjin and Hebei remain the most popular gateways. The capital’s two-airport system – Beijing Capital (PEK) and Beijing Daxing (PKX) – has added dedicated lanes and signage for transit-without-visa (TWOV) passengers, helping keep average clearance times under 30 minutes. The demand profile is also changing. September’s arrival mix skews towards “slow travel” visitors taking advantage of longer stay allowances to explore lesser-known neighbourhoods such as Liangma River and Chaoyang Park in addition to marquee sites like the Great Wall. Conference delegates are returning, too, with the city hosting a series of tech and climate summits ahead of Golden Week. For corporate mobility managers, the data underscores a meaningful acceleration in short-notice business travel to Beijing. Travellers from TWOV-eligible countries – including the US, UK, Brazil and much of the EU – can bypass consulate visa queues if their China stay fits within the 240-hour window and they hold ongoing tickets. However, companies must still ensure that travellers remain within the permitted Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area and exit on schedule; overstays invalidate future visa-free eligibility. With hotel occupancy climbing, procurement teams should lock in rates early for Q4 projects. Airlines are already responding: Air China, Hainan Airlines and several foreign carriers have loaded additional frequencies to PEK and PKX for the October-December period.
