NANJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Foreign travel to China continued to grow in the first eight months of the year as the country adopted more measures, such as expanding visa-free access, to ease entry for international visitors.

Foreign nationals made nearly 61.29 million border crossings in the January-August period, up 19.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data released Thursday. Visa-free entries accounted for 23.72 million of the total, or 77.6 percent, up 26.8 percent from a year earlier.

The figures were released at a subforum on immigration management cooperation during the 2026 Conference of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province.

VISA-FREE & EASIER ACCESS

Since December 2023, when China launched a trial policy granting unilateral visa exemptions to visitors from six countries, it has expanded unilateral visa-free entry to travelers from 50 countries, allowing eligible visitors to stay for up to 30 days.

In a separate move, authorities extended the visa-free transit period for certain countries from 72 or 144 hours to 240 hours in December 2024. Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added to the program last month, bringing the number of eligible countries to 57.

Video clips and other online content about traveling in China and experiencing the Chinese lifestyle have also gained traction worldwide, with hashtags such as "China Travel" and "Chinamaxxing" going viral.

Improved travel infrastructure and more convenient visitor services in China have made it easier for overseas travelers to "return and explore the country's cities, heritage sites and natural attractions," according to an article published this month by Travel and Tour World, a multilingual travel media platform.

The article cited China's 40,000-kilometer high-speed rail network, which links major tourist destinations and simplifies multi-city trips, as well as improvements in digital payments and multilingual services for international visitors.

FROM MEGACITIES TO COZY VILLAGES

As travel to China becomes more accessible, foreign visitors are venturing beyond traditional gateway cities to explore smaller inland destinations, including towns and even villages.

Data from travel platform Qunar showed foreign passport holders had booked inbound flights to 160 Chinese cities through the platform in the first half of 2026. Homestay platform Tujia said foreign travelers experienced homestays in 330 cities across 31 provincial-level regions during the period.

First-tier and new first-tier cities remain the main entry points for foreign visitors, but other destinations are gaining traction. According to Tujia, provincial-level regions such as Gansu, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai and Shanxi saw the fastest growth in foreign tourist homestay bookings in the first half of the year.

Foreign visitors are also staying longer. Their average homestay visit reached 2.8 days in the first half, up about 10 percent from a year earlier, according to Tujia.

"Longer stays allow foreign tourists to see a more authentic, diverse and vibrant side of China," said Hu Yang, senior vice president of Tujia.

DIVERSIFIED EXPERIENCES

Beyond sightseeing, foreign visitors are exploring a wider range of professional, efficient and personalized services in China, from hairstyling and dental care to traditional Chinese medicine and custom tailoring.

"They are increasingly incorporating everyday services into their trips, marking a shift from product-focused to service-driven inbound consumption," said Cao Yixia, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Chinese authorities released a package of measures in March to improve tourism services, including optimizing departure tax refund services, encouraging everyday service apps to offer multilingual versions and further improving visa procedures.

In 2025, the country recorded more than 150 million inbound tourist visits, up more than 17 percent from a year earlier. Spending by inbound travelers surpassed 130 billion U.S. dollars, up nearly 40 percent from the previous year.

In July, China announced ambitious inbound tourism goals. The country's 2026-2030 tourism development plan proposes attracting 190 million inbound tourist visits a year by 2030, with annual inbound tourism spending exceeding 150 billion U.S. dollars.

As Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, observed, tourism offers an immersive showcase of China's progress in manufacturing and services.

"Easier access to China for foreign visitors is not enough. We should provide better services to help them travel to more places, stay longer and have a good experience," Dai said.