Since the end of last year, China has been temporarily implementing a 30-day visa-free entry for Koreans. Between January and July of this year, the number of passengers departing from Korea to China surpassed 4.7 million, exceeding the annual record for 2023. The most popular route is to Shanghai, with more than a quarter of flights from domestic airports heading to Shanghai. As a result, expectations for an extension of the visa-free entry period are rising.
According to industry sources on the 12th, flights to China from Korea began to gradually increase in 2023 after a sharp decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a full recovery in supply expected in 2024. Following this, starting from the end of 2024, the number of flights and passengers has been rapidly increasing due to the 30-day visa-free policy.
An analysis by ChosunBiz of the current status of flights to China from international airports nationwide revealed that a total of 31,343 flights departed from Korea to China between January and July this year. The total number of passengers was 4,704,581. While there are still five months left until the end of the year, which means it will not reach last year's total passenger count of 6,866,678, it has already surpassed the 2023 record of 3,380,776 by over 1 million. If this pace continues, the total number of passengers traveling from Korea to China this year is expected to reach 8 million, an increase of 139% compared to 2023 and 17.8% compared to 2024.
This figure includes all foreign passengers, but when looking specifically at Korean travelers, the increase is more pronounced. According to the Ministry of Justice statistics, the number of Koreans departing for China increased by 51.7% from November of last year, when the visa-free policy began, to June of this year. If the demand for travel to China in the second half of the year gains momentum due to the upcoming October golden holiday and year-end vacations, the increase is expected to accelerate further.
The most popular destination was Shanghai. Among the passengers on flights to China from January to July this year, those headed to Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao International Airport totaled 1,222,038, nearing last year's annual record of 1,319,930. The proportion of passengers heading to Shanghai among those traveling to China increased by over 6 percentage points, rising from 19.2% to 25.9% during the same period.
Shanghai is a representative global city in China, with high travel demand due to its blend of historic architecture and modern skyscrapers, as well as its convenient tourism infrastructure. Following Disneyland, the world's largest Legoland opened last July, attracting domestic and international tourists. A person surnamed Cheon, who traveled to Shanghai last month, said, "It's true that making up my mind to travel to China isn't easy, but Shanghai has the highest number of foreigners in China, making it feel relatively closer psychologically."
Especially this year, with the 80th anniversary of Liberation, more people are visiting historic sites related to the independence movement, such as the Shanghai Provisional Government Building and the site of the Hongkou Park incident by Independence Fighter Yun Bong-gil. A person surnamed Sim, who is planning a 6-day, 5-night trip to Shanghai early next month, said, "I have had curiosity about China for a long time, but I couldn't attempt it because the barriers to entry were high. However, with the 80th anniversary of Liberation, I became interested in traveling to Shanghai," adding, "Although there are still many barriers such as foreigner registration issues, internet blocks, and mobile payment systems, I decided to travel as I can now enter without a visa."
Travel agencies are diligently launching travel packages to China, and television programs featuring travel to China are frequently airing. In July and August alone, ENA and EBS's "Choo Sung Hoon's Food Value" (Chongqing), Channel S's "Ni Don Nae San Solo Tour 4" (Xiamen), JTBC's "Talk Partner 25:00" (Chengdu), and MBC's "I'm Sunny Thank You" (Guangxi) aired episodes on traveling to China. Content related to travel to China has noticeably increased on YouTube and social media.
As a result, there are rising expectations for an extension or permanent implementation of the visa-free entry period. The Chinese government has allowed Koreans to stay for a maximum of 30 days without a visa since November 30 of last year. Entry for tourism, visiting relatives, business, and exchange purposes is fully permitted without limits on the number of entries or total length of stay. The implementation period is until December 31 of this year. Since the Korean government is also allowing visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists starting next month, the possibility of extending the visa-free policy for Koreans is gaining weight. However, the diplomatic authorities stated, "We have not yet received any related news from the Chinese side."