Asia's Tourism Boom: Countries Relax Visa Rules

Cambodia is a country in Asia.

Cambodia started a trial where Chinese citizens can enter without a visa from June 15, and they can stay for up to 14 days.

The Tourism Minister, Huot Hak, said they want more than 600,000 Chinese visitors during the trial and over 1.2 million this year. This was reported by Khmer Times.

Cambodia wants to get back the number of Chinese visitors it had before Covid-19.

In the first five months of 2026, China was the biggest source of international visitors to Cambodia, with 400,000 arrivals, which is over 30% of the total.

South Korea is another country in Asia.

South Korea is now giving 10-year multiple-entry visas to some Chinese travelers to attract more tourists and help business travel.

Chinese visitors who have been to South Korea before can get a five-year multiple-entry visa. People from 14 big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou can get visas for up to 10 years.

South Korea also stopped charging a visa application fee for group tourists from China, India, and some Southeast Asian countries until the end of the year.

These groups do not have to pay the 23,000 won visa application fee until December 31, 2026. They are exempt from this fee.

The UAE is a country in the Middle East.

Last month, the UAE started allowing citizens of Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya, and South Africa to get a visa on arrival, along with their family members.

Tourists are taking photos with camels on the beach in Dubai, UAE.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this move shows the country's commitment to strengthening ties with friendly nations and increasing economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges.

China is a big country in Asia.

In February, China allowed Canadian and British citizens to enter without a visa for up to 30 days.

Many foreign visitors are coming to China again, with 35.17 million arriving in 2025.

Visa-free schemes are helping this growth, with 30.08 million entering China without a visa, which is a 49.5% increase. This happened because of visa-free schemes.

Last year, China extended its visa-free entry for 45 countries until the end of 2026.

Some countries are making their visa rules stricter to protect their tourism image and stop crime.

Thailand, for example, stopped its 60-day visa exemption for 93 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and India, because of some foreigners committing crimes.

Thailand still has a 30-day visa exemption, but fewer countries are eligible now.

Indonesia recently started a big operation to stop foreign influencers and workers who are using tourist visas incorrectly.

This operation targets people who are working on tourist visas and not following the rules.

The operation is part of Indonesia's efforts to control its borders and enforce its immigration laws.

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