China expands visa-free travel to 74 countries, Africa left out

Big crowds are back at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and many other places in China, as the country expands visa-free travel to boost tourism revenue.

Starting July 16, a total of 74 countries will be able to travel to China for 30 days without a visa.

“This really helps people to travel because (the) visa is such a hassle,” said Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria.

The new rules are good news for the tourism industry. China has struggled to get visitor numbers back up after the country's severe shutdown during the Covid pandemic.

China reopened its borders to international tourists in early 2023, but only 13,8 million people visited in 2023, less than half that of 2019 - the last year before the shutdown.

“This year, we’re only halfway through, and we've already matched our total revenue of 2024. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, we’ve seen a roughly 50% increase in terms of the number of travelers, the number of tour groups booked, and overall spending", said Jenny Zhao, managing director at the WildChina tourism bureau.

With the new announcement, most tourists from the global North will be able to travel visa-free to China, yet, not a single African country has been granted visa-exempt status.

This is despite recent efforts by China to increase its presence in Africa. In June, the superpower announced that it would remove trade tarrifs on imports from 53 African states it has diplomatic ties with.