A police officers helps a foreign tourist to carry out the entry formalities in Shanghai, in eastern China, on July 18, 2025. Thanks to the Chinese visa exemption policy and the associated measures, the popularity of travel and purchases in China in foreigners has increased, which stimulates the development of tourism in the country. (Photo provided in Xinhua)
In the first half of 2025, Shanghai recorded more than 4.158 million international tourist admissions, an annual increase of 37.6%. Among them, 3.121 million were carried out by foreign tourists, up 53.3% over one year, according to the latest data published by the Municipal Culture and Tourism Office.
This growth is mainly explained by the continuous upgrading of the visa exemption policy, by progress in terms of payment, multilingual reception and mobility, as well as by the diversification of the cultural and tourist offer.
According to the office, the entries from the Republic of Korea, Thailand and Japan, continue to display rapid growth. The Republic of Korea leads with around 424,000 admissions ( +130.7%), followed by Thailand (254,000 admissions, +140.0%) and Japan (291,000 admissions, +58.5%).
Entrances from more distant countries are also significantly progressing, with around 248,000 admissions from the United States, 153,000 from Russia and 113,000 from Australia.
