China's latest visa-free entry and tax rebate policies have fueled an influx of foreign visitors in the southern city of Guangzhou, where the country's largest international trade fair is taking place.
Since China expanded its visa-free transit window to 240 hours (10 days) for passport holders from 54 countries in 2024, Guangzhou, host city of the Canton Fair -- has recorded 1.11 million visa-free entries as of April 2025, a 275 percent year-on-year surge.
The policy is part of the country's broader push to attract more overseas visitors, including unilateral visa exemption for 38 countries and slashing the minimum spending threshold for tax refunds from 500 yuan (69 U.S. dollars) to 200 yuan (28 U.S. dollars).
In Canton Fair Convention Complex, an AI-powered virtual host explains instant refund procedures in multiple languages, attracting overseas buyers to the tax service booth, with multilingual tax refund policy and service brochures available.
Several commercial banks' booths also offer live presentations on departure tax refund procedures.
"Since the implementation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, as of April 2025, the tax refund for departure we have accepted has increased by 137 percent year-on-year, showcasing the enthusiasm of foreign tourists for tourism and consumption in Guangzhou," said Chen Cuina, account manager at Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) Guangzhou Branch.
The government is also expanding the number of departure tax refund stores and promoting a "refund-upon-purchase" service model. Guangzhou has increased the number of tax refund stores and expanded the variety of tax refund goods.
Currently, 349 stores in Guangzhou offer tax refund services, with 10 pilot stores implementing the in-store tax refund policy.
Since the 137th Canton Fair opened on April 15, the average daily number of tax refund transactions in Guangzhou has reached a record high, increasing by 168 percent compared to last year.
Some merchants even joined in a one-stop online instant tax refund service for departing travelers. They can instantly upload purchase details and documents via their mobile phones at these stores to complete the tax refund process and receive their refunds within five minutes.
"I definitely need to try it (the online instant tax refund), it is good because I immediately get back the money," said an overseas buyer.
Following introducing the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, Guangzhou has welcomed over three million inbound travelers, a 75 percent year-on-year increase. Among them, 1.11 million entered visa-free, representing a 275 percent increase from last year.
China's latest visa-free entry, tax rebate policies fuel influx of overseas visitors in Guangzhou
China's latest visa-free entry, tax rebate policies fuel influx of overseas visitors in Guangzhou
