When Was It Legal To Travel To China?

In 1964, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress approved the creation of the China Travel and Tourism Enterprise Administration (CTEA), which later became the China National Tourism Administration. Leisure travel in China dates back thousands of years, with Emperors, scholars, monks, and other religious people being frequent travelers.

China maintained some of the harshest travel restrictions in the world for nearly three years, largely sealing off its borders to business travelers, tourists, and relatives of Chinese citizens. In 1978, Deng Xiao-Ping introduced economic reforms and the open-door policy in China, which recognized tourism as a significant industry. Tours typically were controlled by Chinese investors who owned buses, hotels, restaurants, spas, and gift shops.

China is fully reopening its borders to foreign visitors on March 15, 2023. From January to May 2023, the number of overseas tourists entering China through Shanghai and other ports in China was reduced. Over 250 cities and countries had been opened to foreign visitors by the mid-1980s.

In July 2023, China reinstated its 15-day visa-free travel policy for visitors from Singapore and Brunei. In November 2023, this policy was abolished. Outbound trips by Chinese travelers are expected to recover to 2019 levels two years from now.

China has also lifted a ban on group tours to overseas destinations including the U.S., Australia, the UK, South Korea, and Japan, easing the situation. Taiwan’s government will allow Chinese tourists and business people to visit again as it seeks to resume exchanges halted by the “zero Covid” policy. In December, China abruptly ended its “zero Covid” policy and began to ease border restrictions.


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Can Chinese travel freely?

The Americas have a number of countries that do not require visas for their citizens, including Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Saint Lucia, and Jamaica. In contrast, Chinese citizens are able to enter Oman, Jeju Island, Uzbekistan, Iran, Phu Quoc Island, and Georgia with a visa.

Can Chinese people travel freely?

A total of 20 countries and regions, including Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Saint Lucia, and Jamaica, have granted visa-free access to Chinese passport holders.

Do Chinese need a visa for Russia?

Travelers need a visa to visit Russia for business or tourism. A paper or embassy visa is the only option, typically a stamp or sticker added to the passport. It must be obtained from a local embassy, consulate, or visa center before traveling. Chinese passport holders also need a visa. An eVisa is the fastest and easiest way to obtain a visa for Russia, as it allows travelers to submit their applications and supporting documents online. A valid visa is required to board a flight, and an expired or incorrect visa will not allow travel. eVisa entry is supported at select airports. For more information, visit the government site.

Did China ban time travel?

The prohibition of time travel-themed television programs was a policy decision, not a legal restriction. There is no legislation in China that explicitly prohibits the creation of time travel films or television programmes. Consequently, such works are not considered to be illegal.

Are Chinese allowed to travel overseas?

Chinese citizens are permitted to leave China if they are not wanted by the justice system. However, in order to travel to the United States, a visa is required.

Has tourism in China gone down?
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Has tourism in China gone down?

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the travel and tourism industry, leading to job losses and business closures for millions of employees. China experienced a 60% drop in tourism revenue, 80% decrease in visitor arrivals, and 87% drop in tourist departures in 2020. The number of travelers, tourism spending, and revenues only slightly increased in 2021. In 2022, the Chinese government delayed international openings, with Macao being the only destination outside of mainland China for leisure travel.

In January 2023, China reopened for international travel after nearly three years of closed borders. Although China’s travel and tourism sector has recovered, international travel spend remains far behind pre-pandemic levels. The introduction of a more simplified visa application process is a step in the right direction, but factors such as flight availability, high prices, the local political environment, and the shifting global geopolitical landscape remain potential drawbacks for international travelers. The text provides general information and assumes no liability for the information provided, as statistics may display more up-to-date data due to varying update cycles.

When did China join trips?

In December 2001, China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in accordance with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).

When were Chinese people allowed to travel?
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When were Chinese people allowed to travel?

China’s Approved Destination Status (ADS) Policy in the 1990s allowed citizens to travel abroad for pleasure, but it had a significant limitation. Chinese citizens were not allowed to go where and how they wanted, which is why this policy has become an important topic to study.

International tourism has become an economic and social force of global significance, and if developed sustainably, it can be a positive agent of economic and social change and a potential weapon in the fight to alleviate global poverty. As the world’s most populous country and its second-largest economy, China’s policies have the potential to generate big economic and social impacts worldwide.

This article can be used in various courses to introduce students to the importance of international tourism and ongoing issues involving China’s economic development. In college and high school AP economics classes, students can learn about issues surrounding the liberalization of international trade in services, such as tourism. In human geography classes, students can explore tourist attractions and why some countries might be more attractive to Chinese tourists than others.

Anthropology and sociology classes can assess the sociocultural impacts of mass tourism on tourist receiving and sending countries. Political science classes can follow up on how tourism is used as political leverage in international relations.

China’s ADS policy and the surge in Chinese tourism are clearly interdisciplinary topics, best suited for interdisciplinary courses like Asian studies or global studies, as these courses are less bound by specific, fact-based, state instructional standards.

Does China allow tourism?

Previously, foreign visitors were required to obtain a Chinese visa; however, the policy has since been revised, allowing over a dozen countries to enter the country and remain for up to 15 days.

When did tourism in China start?
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When did tourism in China start?

The first Chinese-operated travel agency was founded by Chen Guangfu in 1923, and tourism emerged as part of China’s bourgeois lifestyle during the nationalist era. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, tourism was not a contributing sector due to the country’s political system and Western economic blocks. The state-owned tourism company China International Travel Service (CITS) was established in 1954, focusing on diplomacy.

The earliest tourists came from the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. In 1958, the Secretary-General of the State Council was placed in charge of CITS, and its branches were transferred to local governments.

Organized around diplomatic and political purposes, tourism in China provided tours such as the production study tour (shengchan guanmo tuan) and the industry and commerce study tour (gongshang kaocha tuan). Premier Zhou Enlai stated that the purpose of tourism was to “xuanchuan ourselves, understand others, wild influence, and gain sympathy”. Through CITS, China provided travel services to overseas Chinese visiting China and tourists who might spread a positive image of China to their home countries.


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When Was It Legal To Travel To China?
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Debbie Green

I am a school teacher who was bitten by the travel bug many decades ago. My husband Billy has come along for the ride and now shares my dream to travel the world with our three children.The kids Pollyanna, 13, Cooper, 12 and Tommy 9 are in love with plane trips (thank goodness) and discovering new places, experiences and of course Disneyland.

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7 comments

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  • Traveled in to 9 countries in Europe and the UK 4 times, North America, most of Asia many times . And lived in Australia and NZ for years. Also travelled throughout China, especially during the 3 COVID years….I have to say the most stunning and breathtaking sceneries are in China. Unfortunately most people don’t have the opportunity to really see it 😊

  • The Chinese government does not advise against traveling to China like the U.S. government does, but Chinese people’s willingness to travel to Europe and North America is getting smaller and smaller. Just look at China’s domestic tourism market. How many countries have made money because of the Chinese market, and how many countries have benefited from China’s improvement of cheap and high-quality products. The United States and Europe seek to decouple from China. In fact, China seeks to decouple from Europe and the United States faster than they do. ASEAN surpassed the United States and Europe to become China’s largest trading partner three years ago, and South America and the Middle East will become China’s second and third largest trading partners within five years.

  • Many Chinese people now realise, it’s better to spend their money inside China to help our own people than to travel abraod and spend on nations who hate China. This is a natural behaviour. Look at Harbin, even Hainan Island is facing some backlashes and people are heading north this year for their holiday. Harbin is making a sweet come in tourism! Shocking….. If I go skiing, instead of going to France or Switzerland or US, I could go to Xinjiang, North East of China instead. I rather pump my money onto the Xinjiang economy than other hostile nations. That’s the way we all think now. Of course you will always have some Chinese people going outside of the country but we are now talking about the general trend. Even Hong Kong, who spent most of their time complaining the Mainland China tourists, are suffering. They hate the mainland Chinese, but love their money. They don’t even know (especially the riot kids) why people ain’t coming to Hong Kong anymore. What goes around comes around. Attitude towards the mainland chinese people are still negative. Most of my friends in China tend to speak English in HK than Mandarin to avoid discrimination in Hong Kong. This is the saddest part of the human history.

  • Everyone no matter where you live is under the same financial stress. The corrupt wealth distribution model and lack of fair pay for fair work means the world economic engine is slowly grinding to a halt because people like bezos and musk can’t spend all of the wealth in all of the places that we the people could to keep the world going. We’re living in a new age of robber barons and a two class system of mega kings vs. Peasants.

  • Chinese 🇨🇳 property sector, which accounts for 30% of GDP, is crashing. – Exports and imports, accounting for 37% GDP, are down. – Foreign investment is falling over 90% compared to 2018. – Foreign visitors are down 94% compared to 2019. – Youth unemployment hits over 21%, a record. – Its fast-shrinking workforce is 10 years older than neighboring countries. Still, China keeps reporting outrageous GDP numbers. Lol Where does the growth come from?

  • At departure custom officer:”where are you going?” Me:”United States” offcier:”for what?” Me:”travel” Officer:”how long will you stay in us ” Me:”2 weeks” Officer:”show me your return ticket” Me:”wtf (shown as request)” Officer:”show me your hotel reservation” Me:”,,,,,,,” Officer:”US is a dangers place, it’s not safe now. Are you sure you still wanna go?” Me:”……yes” officer:”give me your phone, we need check your chat log” Me:” fine I’m not going to US, just let me go home”

  • What to see and do in those western countries? What do they have that China does not? Chinese tourists care more about good infrastructure, cleanness, safety of society, hospitality and high quality of services, most western countries have very little to none of above. Besides who wants to spend money on those anti-China and anti-Chinese places?