Beijing sees jump in Russian travelers following visa-free policy

Beijing has seen a notable rise in Russian travelers since China implemented a visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders a month ago.

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, over 30,000 Russians entered through Beijing Daxing International Airport, representing a more than 20% increase from the previous month and an approximately 80% rise year on year. The surge is driving people-to-people exchanges, trade and cultural interactions between the two countries.

More than 23,000 of these travelers entered visa-free, accounting for over 70% of total arrivals. Among them, over 80% came for tourism and business, highlighting growing interest among Russians in exploring opportunities in the country.

"This is the first time I feel China is so close to us!" said Alexander, a traveler from Moscow. "We plan to stay in China for 10 days, starting with the Great Wall and the Forbidden City in Beijing, then heading to Harbin. The visa-free policy makes traveling so easy; it's an amazing experience!"

Daxing has implemented several measures to handle the surge, including enhanced passenger flow monitoring, additional police deployment during peak periods and expanded border inspection channels. Officers have also undergone language training to provide assistance in Russian, Kazakh and other languages.