Beijing had recorded more than 8 million border crossings in 2026 as of 11:30 Tuesday, representing a year-on-year increase of 12 percent and reaching the mark in record time, half a month earlier than in 2025.
Official data showed that this year the number of exits and entries by foreign nationals at Beijing ports had surpassed 2.55 million as of Monday, accounting for 32 percent of the total and up 33.6 percent from the same period of 2025, according to the Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection.
Among them, about 957,000 foreign arrivals into the capital city this year had entered under visa-free or temporary entry permit policies, accounting for 70.8 percent of all foreign entrants.
The recent surge is partly attributable to the continuous optimization of visa-free policies. To date, China has introduced unilateral visa-free policies for 50 countries and implemented 240-hour transit visa-free arrangements for 55 countries.
Visitors said the policy has inspired them to finally plan their long-awaited journeys to China.
"I have had a deep appreciation for Chinese culture since I was a child. Because of that, I always pay close attention to it, especially the films that were available, and I always identify strongly with the values of loyalty and honor in the films," said a Brazilian visitor.
"The visa-free policy is always appreciated. I'm someone who likes to travel," a Canadian tourist said.
Beijing sees surging cross-border travel so far this year
