Tourists wait to enter a duty-free shop in Seoul, South Korea, on June 9. YONHAP NEWS AGENCY

Experts said that China and South Korea are set for a win-win result from their tourism cooperation after implementing mutual visa-free policies in succession, a move that will boost not only the tourism industry but also economic growth on both sides.

During China's eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in early October, tourism destinations and shopping malls in South Korea saw a surge of Chinese tourists, thanks to the implementation of the temporary visa-free policy by the South Korean government.

Under the policy, Chinese group tourists — consisting of three or more people — are allowed to enter South Korea without a visa from Sept 29 to June 30, 2026, and stay up to 15 days. Previously, only the country's Jeju Island gave such access, allowing Chinese individuals and group tourists to stay for up to 30 days with a visa waiver. That access is still valid.

"Thanks to the visa-free policy, the number of group tourists bound for South Korea from the National Day holiday till date has registered a growth of over 60 percent compared with September at our platform, while it has multiplied compared with the same period in 2024," said Liu Haomiao, a manager responsible for tour products to South Korea at domestic travel portal Tuniu.

Making use of the visa-free policy, four South Korean tourists display entry stamps on their passports at Beijing Capital International Airport on Jan 28. CHEN ZHONGHAO/XINHUA

He said travel to South Korea is a good idea now because of the short flight hours and the currently valid visa-free policy. "The popular scenic spots for Chinese travelers are the ancient Gyeongbokgung Palace and the shopping area of Myeong-dong in Seoul, as well as Hallasan in Jeju Island," he added.

"The government has set an ambitious target of drawing 5.36 million Chinese tourists this year, approaching the 6.02 million recorded in 2019 before the pandemic disrupted international travel … The Bank of Korea estimates that an increase of 1 million Chinese group tourists could raise the gross domestic product by up to 0.08 percentage points," reported the Korea Herald, South Korea's English-language newspaper.

The visa-free travel rollout was a positive response to China's previously launched visa-exemption policy for people of South Korea, and is bound to give a fillip to tourism and economic development on both sides.

The Chinese government announced in November 2024 that people holding regular passports of South Korea, on account of business trip, tourism, family visit, and transit, are allowed to enter the Chinese mainland free of visa from Nov 8,2024 to Dec 31 this year for up to 15 days.

South Korean tourists take pictures in front of the renowned Peace Hotel in Shanghai on Nov 30 last year. CHEN HAOMING/XINHUA

Encouraging reports have underlined the success of the policy. Figures from domestic travel portal Trip.com Group show that from November 2024 to mid-September this year, tourism bookings by residents of South Korea to China increased by 131 percent year-on-year, as reported by Global Times.

As South Korea's Chuseok — the country's public holiday to celebrate the harvest and the full moon — coincidentally overlapped with the Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday this year in early October, Trip.com Group said that many tourists from South Korea visited Chinese destinations like Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Dalian in the northeastern province of Liaoning during that period.

Chen Minsheng, an independent tour guide in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, which is also a popular Chinese destination among South Korean tourists, said that he is pleased to see the more friendly visa policies of the two countries.

"Many of my customers are elderly people aged around 60 from South Korea and I'm very happy that they come to China and see the beautiful views and experience different traditions in China. People-to-people communication is always the most heartwarming, which can deepen our mutual understanding and lay a solid foundation for cooperation between the countries," he said.

编辑：王瑜