Interest in traveling from Uzbekistan to China has surged since the introduction of a visa-free regime, with searches for trips to China rising by 189% during the first year of the policy.

The strongest growth was recorded in leisure travel. Flight searches to Shanghai jumped by 319.9%, while demand for trips to the resort city of Sanya soared by 386.2%, The Caspian Post reports via Anhor.uz.

The study also found that airline bookings to China increased by 367.2%, or nearly 4.7 times, compared with the previous year. At the same time, average airfare prices fell by around 20%, a trend analysts attribute to the expansion of Chinese airlines in the Uzbek market and an increase in direct flights.

Travel patterns have also changed, with the average length of stay dropping from 10 days to 7.5 days, suggesting that more travelers are opting for shorter leisure and city-break trips.

Experts say the visa-free regime has transformed China from primarily a business destination into a popular tourist hotspot for Uzbek travelers, with growing interest in sightseeing, cultural experiences, and short vacations.