Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping announced on Wednesday that the number of tax refund stores catering to foreign visitors in China had surpassed 10,000 by the end of August 2025, tripling the count from the end of 2024. This growth is part of China’s broader push to enhance inbound tourism and consumption, supported by policies like visa-free entries and optimized tax refunds. From January to August, the number of foreign tourists claiming tax refunds upon departure rose 248 percent year-on-year, while tax refund sales increased by 98 percent.
Foreign Tourists Flock to Major Chinese Cities During National Day
Data from travel platform Qunar.com revealed that foreign tourists’ bookings for the 2025 National Day holiday covered nearly 100 Chinese cities. The top three most popular destinations were Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Notably, Hefei, Quanzhou, and Guiyang in Anhui, Fujian, and Guizhou provinces, respectively, saw the highest growth in flight bookings from foreign tourists among the top three cities.
Top Source Countries for Inbound Foreign Tourists During National Day
The top three countries with the fastest growth in inbound foreign tourists during the National Day holidays were Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Spain. This reflects the increasing popularity of China as a travel destination among tourists from Central Asia and Europe.
Robust Growth in Air Passenger Traffic at Chinese Airports
China’s airports are experiencing strong growth in both inbound and outbound passenger traffic, driven by surging travel demand. Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism data showed that inbound tourists to Beijing reached 446,000 in August 2025, a year-on-year increase of over 30 percent, with main source countries including Russia and the United States. Air China also announced plans to expand its global network, including adding 7 to 8 daily return flights to Beijing Capital International Airport and increasing weekly return flights to Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports to meet the growing demand.
China’s Visa and Tax Refund Policies Facilitate Inbound Tourism
In April 2025, China introduced a package of measures to optimize the tax refund policy for foreign tourists, including lowering the minimum purchase threshold for refunds from 500 yuan to 200 yuan, raising the cash refund ceiling from 10,000 yuan to 20,000 yuan, expanding the network of participating stores, and broadening the range of eligible products. These changes, combined with visa-free policies for citizens of 47 countries and 240-hour transit visa exemptions for travelers from 55 countries, have made it easier and more affordable for foreign visitors to shop and travel in China.
