Visa-free transit boosts China’s inbound tourism during May Day holiday

China’s visa-free transit policy continued to boost inbound tourism during the May Day holiday, with multiple regions seeing growing numbers of foreign visitors.

With last year’s implementation of the mutual visa-free policy between China and Russia, Hunchun Highway Port – Jilin Province’s only land port open to Russia – saw a continuous rise in inbound and outbound passenger traffic during this holiday.

“I’m very happy to be able to enter visa-free. Now with the visa-free policy, it’s very convenient, there’s no need to apply for a visa in advance. Everything here is great, the food is delicious, and the people here are very hospitable,” said Larisa, a Russian tourist.

Xi’an, a popular destination for international travelers, saw a noticeable increase in inbound tourist traffic at its major landmarks.

At the Xi’an City Wall scenic area, large numbers of foreign tourists are climbing the historical wall to experience the charm of the millennium-old ancient capital.

“I’m interested in Chinese culture, and to learn about the history of the country and the city,” said Eamon, an Australian traveler.

Foreign tourists also showed great enthusiasm in the rich immersive cultural experiences the city offers.

“We watched a lot of videos on TikTok, very interesting videos about China. We like everything very much,” said Maria, a Swiss tourist, after dining in a cultural entertainment theater restaurant.

In Yunnan, Hekou Port, the largest land port connecting Vietnam in the province, is expected to see over 100,000 trips between April 30 and May 5.

“We came to visit Kunming and Dali. Recently, the flowers are blooming beautifully in these places, so we wanted to come here to see the scenery and take photos,” said Nhung, a Vietnamese traveler.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Monday declared a ceasefire on May 8-9 in honor of the Victory Day celebration, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the same day that Ukraine will implement a ceasefire with Russia starting Wednesday.

The truce was declared in accordance with a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said, voicing hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit. It added the Russian forces would take all necessary measures to ensure security during the commemorative events.

The ministry also warned that any attempts to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations would trigger a “massive missile strike” on central Kiev.

Russia will hold its annual Victory Day parade on Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said late last month.

In response, Zelensky said in a post on X that the Ukrainian side is “announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5-6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect.”

Ukraine will act reciprocally starting from that moment, Zelensky said.