Wuhan Tianhe International Airport handled 133,000 inbound and outbound trips made by foreign visitors in the first half of 2025 (H1), representing a year-on-year increase of 42.3 percent, official data showed on Tuesday.

Of the total, the number of foreigners with visa-free entry reached 33,000, which was three times higher than the figure over the same period of last year.

The surge in foreign travelers is due to China's mutual visa exemption agreements with other countries, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy and other favorable policies, attracting visitors from around the world.

China has rolled out departure tax refund policy in Hubei Province from July 1 this year. The policy allows overseas tourists to claim back value-added tax on eligible purchases made at designated tax refund stores before leaving Hubei, benefiting an increasing number of overseas travelers. (en.hubei.gov.cn by Zhang Yawei）