During the Canadian Prime Minister’s recent visit to China, Chinese authorities signaled a potential move to introduce a visa-free policy for Canadian visitors.
In an X.com post, Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “China has committed to soon allowing Canadians to visit without a visa.”
Carney noted that the statement also signals a broader improvement in China-Canada personnel exchanges.
According to Statistics Canada (2021 Census), the Chinese Canadian population totals approximately 1.72 million, accounting for 4.7% of the country’s total population.
For a long time, visiting family and friends has been the most stable and non-discretionary travel demand between China and Canada. Visa requirements have long added friction—a “gentle barrier”—to these trips. If visa-free access is implemented, the first demand likely to rebound will be the long-suppressed flow of family visits.
For Canada, these travelers typically stay longer and spend more steadily, forming a high-quality base for inbound tourism. In addition, many second- and third-generation Chinese Canadians may combine family visits with tourism, creating a hybrid travel pattern.
Signs of market recovery have already emerged. During the peak summer season of July 2025, passenger traffic on China-Canada routes continued to rise, reaching 268,700 passengers across 12 direct routes nationwide, with an average load factor of 92.7%.
The recovery in South China has been particularly notable: China Southern Airlines resumed the Guangzhou–Vancouver route, stepping directly into competion with existing services from Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Among them, the Hong Kong–Vancouver route, with its high frequency and strong demand, has long been one of the busiest intercontinental route between China and Canada, maintaining a load factor of around 90%, providing a solid foundation for additional capacity across the region.
