Foreign arrivals through Beijing’s two airports and three land ports have surged to their highest post-pandemic level, thanks largely to China’s expanding 144-hour and 240-hour visa-free transit schemes. According to municipal immigration data released on 22 September, 70 percent of all foreign nationals entering the capital this month did so on visa-free or temporary-entry permits, pushing inbound leisure numbers beyond 2019 peaks. Top source markets include Germany, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, reflecting China’s unilateral 15-day waiver extended earlier this year to both Canada and the UK. The Beijing Culture-and-Tourism Bureau credits a new ‘Transit+’ marketing campaign that bundles short-stay visas with discounted high-speed-rail and museum passes. Travellers are venturing beyond stalwarts like the Forbidden City and Great Wall to newer hotspots such as Chaoyang Park’s riverfront and the China National Arts & Crafts Museum. The municipal government has also opened a dedicated English-language help desk on the 12345 hotline to answer real-time questions about onward-ticket requirements and permissible activities within the visa-free window. For businesses, the numbers confirm that China’s bet on visa liberalisation is boosting MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) demand. Hotel groups report mid-week occupancy at conference venues is up 22 percent year-on-year, while Beijing Daxing International Airport recorded a 34 percent jump in premium-cabin bookings linked to corporate roadshows. The surge provides fresh justification for firms to re-locate APAC sales kick-offs or product launches back to the mainland. Yet challenges remain. Travel consultants note that confusion still exists over whether visa-free passengers can open local e-payment wallets or buy domestic air tickets. A Ministry of Commerce pilot to let foreign passport-holders register Alipay or WeChat Pay accounts with just a transit stamp is currently limited to Beijing and Shanghai and caps daily spending at RMB 2,000—insufficient for many business travellers. Looking ahead, Beijing authorities say they will lobby the central government to extend the policy beyond the current 31 December 2026 end-date and to add more departure points, including the Beijing-Xi’an leg of the high-speed rail network. If approved, that would effectively turn Beijing into a northeastern Asian transit hub rivalling Seoul or Tokyo.
Source: Beijing Municipal Portal
