[Market Focus] Resumption of Visa-Free Entry for Chinese Group Tourists... Travel Stocks Surge

Government: "Resumption from September 29... Permitted Until June 30 Next Year"

With the resumption of visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists after about eight years, travel stocks are surging.

As of 2:09 p.m. on August 6, Yellow Balloon Tour was trading at 7,070 won, up 1,630 won (29.96%) from the previous trading day. At the same time, other travel stocks such as Very Good Tour (up 24.40%), Modetour (up 12.28%), and Redcap Tour (up 5.22%) also showed strong gains across the board.

On this day, the government announced after a meeting of the "Tourism Revitalization Mini Policy Task Force (TF)" that it would allow visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists. The government stated, "Visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists will be permitted from September 29, 2025, to June 30, 2026," and explained, "We have decided to implement this temporary visa-free policy before China's National Day holiday (October 1-7)."

Visa-free entry for Chinese group tourists is being resumed for the first time in about eight years, after it was effectively suspended in March 2017 due to the THAAD dispute.