London, UK - Feb 15, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Passengers at Heathrow Airport
2. Various of Spring Festival-themed decorations
3. Passengers
4. Plane

Beijing, China - Feb 16, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Tourist picking special envelope gifted to travelers
6. Various of staff members explaining content of envelope to foreign tourists
7. Foreign tourists holding signs promoting travel to Beijing, posing for photos

Beijing, China- Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Condie Bradley, Canadian traveler:
"I'm quite excited for the visa-free [policy] for Canada. Although I work here, I would like my parents to be able to visit me. And having the visa-free option for Canadians would allow them to easily visit me whenever they're able to. So I think that's a good step in the right direction."

Beijing, China - Feb 16, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of British tourist, picking envelope, reading papers in it

Shanghai, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dawson Joseph, Kaye Niamh, British tourists:
"We've just landed in Shanghai. They've just changed the policy to allow you to spend up to 30 days here. We're very excited. So we're off to see friends, we're traveling around China, we've got a month here, and we're just really excited to be here. Happy Chinese New Year."

Beijing, China - Feb 16, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Aircraft on parking apron
12. Passengers in airport gangway
13. Horse-shaped toy
14. Cultural, innovative products

Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Feb 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. Various of tourists at scenic spot; yangko dance performance in progress

Changchun City, Jilin Province, northeast China - Feb 16, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
16. Firework show

Macao, China - Feb 17, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
17. Various of dragon dance performance in progress; tourists

Travelers from the UK and Canada are heading to China with visa exemption, as a new visa-free policy for the two countries officially came into effect on Tuesday, which coincided with the first day of the Chinese New Year.

The new policy enables ordinary passport holders from the two countries to be exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family or friends visit, exchange and transit purposes. The policy will be effective until Dec 31, 2026, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The entry into effect of the visa-free measure coincided with the first day of the Chinese New Year, which is a Year of the Horse in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac.

Echoing the excitement, travelers arriving in China from both countries shared their plans and hopes under the new policy.

"I'm quite excited for the visa-free [policy] for Canada. Although I work here, I would like my parents to be able to visit me. And having the visa-free option for Canadians would allow them to easily visit me whenever they're able to. So I think that's a good step in the right direction," said Condie Bradley, a Canadian traveler.

Also arriving in Shanghai were British tourists Dawson Joseph and Kaye Niamh, who said they are excited to spend the next weeks traveling around China.

"We've just landed in Shanghai. They've just changed the policy to allow you to spend up to 30 days here. We're very excited. So we're off to see friends, we're traveling around China, we've got a month here, and we're just really excited to be here," they said, while also extending good wishes for the Chinese New Year.

The move came following January visits to China by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the two countries respectively pledging to deepen ties and exchanges with China.

In 2025, China's inbound travel saw a notable rise. International visitors made over 82 million crossings into China, a 26.4 percent year-on-year increase. Over 73 percent of these international travelers benefited from China's visa exemption or visa-free transit policies, jumping 49.5 percent from the previous year, the National Immigration Administration said.