(CHINA) — China expanded visa-free entry and transit rules as foreign arrivals rose during the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival period, with visitors increasingly traveling beyond Beijing, Shanghai and other major coastal cities.

The unilateral visa waiver program covers 50 countries and allows eligible travelers to stay for up to 30 days.

The arrangement remains in effect for most eligible nationalities through December 31, 2026.

Russia’s visa-free arrangement runs through December 31, 2027, while Brunei’s arrangement has no fixed end date. The policies have given foreign visitors more time to travel within China after arrival.

China recorded 777,000 foreign arrivals during the Dragon Boat Festival period in 2026, an increase of 23.3% from the same period a year earlier. Inbound tourists stayed an average of 5.1 days.

About 436,000 of those foreign visitors traveled visa-free, up 14.7% from the same period in 2025.

The increase came as more tourists used easier entry rules to make repeat trips and visit destinations outside the country’s traditional tourism centers.

Travelers have begun spreading into interior provinces and lesser-known destinations rather than concentrating their itineraries in China’s largest coastal cities.

The movement has included repeat visits, giving returning tourists more opportunity to explore areas they may have bypassed during an initial trip.

China has also widened its visa-free transit policy.

The 240-hour visa-free transit program now covers 55 countries and 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions.

Eligible travelers using the transit arrangement can remain in China for up to 10 days while traveling to a third country.

The policy provides another route for foreign visitors who want to add Chinese destinations to an international journey without applying for a standard visa.

Together, the two programs have expanded the geographic reach of visa-free travel.

The 30-day unilateral policy gives eligible visitors a longer period inside China, while the 240-hour transit rule opens access through a wider group of ports and provincial-level regions.

That combination has changed the pattern of inbound travel described in the 2026 figures.

Foreign tourists are no longer limited to short stays centered on the biggest cities, and repeat visitors are reaching inland locations that previously received less attention from international travelers.

The Dragon Boat Festival figures provide a measure of the change during a major travel period.

Foreign arrivals increased to 777,000, while the average stay reached 5.1 days, indicating that visitors entering China were spending several days in the country rather than making brief stops alone.

Visa-free visitors accounted for more than half of the foreign arrivals recorded during the period, with 436,000 entering under visa-free arrangements.

Their number rose 14.7% from the same period in 2025.

The policy changes have also supported a broader range of travel routes.

Visitors can enter through covered ports, remain under the applicable time limit and travel onward to interior provinces, provided they meet the conditions of the relevant visa-free program.

China’s major coastal cities remain part of many foreign visitors’ itineraries, but the available figures point to a wider distribution of travel.

Inland and secondary destinations are drawing tourists who return for additional trips or extend their journeys beyond the best-known urban centers.

The shift is tied to the length and reach of the entry policies.

A stay of up to 30 days gives eligible visitors more time than a short transit period, while the 10-day transit allowance permits travelers passing through China to spend time in destinations along their route.

Russia and Brunei also have separate timelines within the expanded visa waiver system.

Russia’s policy continues through December 31, 2027, and Brunei’s has no end date, while most of the other arrangements currently run through December 31, 2026.

The transit program’s coverage of 55 countries, 65 ports and 24 provincial-level regions gives travelers more entry points than a system limited to the largest gateways.

It also connects visa-free travel with provinces that have not traditionally occupied the center of foreign tourism in China.

During the 2026 Dragon Boat Festival period, that wider access coincided with a reported “growing influx of foreign tourists” heading inland.

Repeat trips and visa-free entry have helped shift attention from a small group of coastal cities toward a broader set of destinations across the country.

The policies remain time-limited for most nationalities, so the current arrangements do not establish a permanent visa waiver for every country covered.

Their immediate effect, however, is visible in the number of visa-free arrivals, the average length of stay and the growing spread of foreign visitors beyond China’s largest urban hubs.