Why more foreigners are choosing to visit China

Foreign tourists ride a traditional wooden boat in Tongli, an ancient town in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, on May 18, 2026. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Feng)

In August, U.S. entrepreneur Elon Musk posted on social media that China is 'awesome' and strongly encouraged people to visit, which quickly drew wide attention online. The post subsequently sparked a wave of comments asking a similar question: Why are more people choosing to visit China?

His mother, Maye Musk, offered some answers in the comments below his post: "Each city has its own charm with different cultural sites to see. Buildings and streets are clean and in good repair. Also, people are polite, hard-working, and respectful. I feel safe, so enjoy going to China."

The numbers back up the trend. China's National Immigration Administration reported 22.91 million foreign visitor entries in the first half of 2026, up 20.4 percent year on year.

Visa policy has played a major role. China now allows 240-hour visa-free transit for travelers from 57 countries through 65 designated ports. It offers unilateral visa-free entry to nationals of 50 countries, visa-free entry to Hainan Province for visitors from 61 countries, along with visa-free entry at 13 cruise ports. Mobile payment has also become much easier for foreign visitors to set up, making spontaneous travel increasingly accessible.

Safety and warmth are among the most common impressions visitors share. A 28-year-old Norwegian traveler said she felt safe walking alone at night in China, calling the country's safety "beyond imagination." A tourist from North Macedonia, Ivanov, praised the kindness of local people, while a food blogger with more than 40,000 followers said he especially loved spicy cuisine in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and the sense of community around festive Chinese New Year meals.

Chinese and foreign tourists enjoy a long-table banquet in Qiantong, an ancient town in Ninghai county, Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, on May 19, 2026. (People's Daily Online/Hu Xuejun)

China's natural scenery has also drawn praise. A Spanish tourist in southwest China's Yunnan Province called it "nature's air-conditioned room," while a British visitor riding a cable car through Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan Province said the landscape looked like something out of the film "Avatar." On social media, foreign viewers have also taken notice of China's success in turning desert land into green oases through ecological restoration.

Cultural depth adds another layer. An American tourist said he was overwhelmed by the sheer range of sites in Beijing during his trip, while an Irish visitor in Qufu, east China's Shandong Province, said he gained a deeper understanding of The Analects of Confucius and had an intuitive appreciation of Hanfu culture and Confucian ritual and music culture by watching performances. He sent the photos to his friends and told them to set off for China with their cameras.

Technology has impressed many visitors too. Foreign journalists from 15 countries shared videos of coins standing upright on a high-speed train, demonstrating how smoothly it traveled. Meanwhile, American influencer IShowSpeed's livestream from Shanghai attracted 5.6 million viewers, who watched him marvel at getting a mobile signal inside a train tunnel. 

A growing number of foreign visitors are choosing "tech tourism" as a theme for exploring Chinese cities. In Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, for example, visitors can try out robot services and drone delivery, and shop for AI glasses, drones and smart robots — dubbed new "Chinese specialties."

A global survey found that 92.9 percent of respondents said the growing popularity of "China Travel" reflects rising international interest in the country, while 87 percent said visiting in person gave them a more accurate understanding of Chinese culture, society and development.