China's expanding visa-free agreements with members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have unleashed a transnational tourism boom, spotlighting the bloc's growing success in fostering regional integration. Within the SCO framework, which comprises 10 member states, two observer states, and 14 dialogue partners, China has signed mutual visa exemption agreements with the majority of these countries, covering various types of passports. Notably, nine countries have implemented visa-free policies for holders of Chinese ordinary passports, greatly facilitating travel of Chinese tourists. Yang Xiaoyu and Gu Siyu, two Chinese travel vloggers, are among those benefiting from the mutual visa exemption between China and Kazakhstan, which took effect in 2023. Data from multiple travel platforms indicate a significant surge in Chinese tourists traveling to SCO member countries this summer. In addition, as the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays approach, interest in these destinations continues to rise. China is also becoming an increasingly appealing destination for tourists from SCO member states. Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy, anticipated that the SCO Summit in Tianjin, which runs from Sunday to Monday, will further boost tourism among member states. Shotlist: Almaty, Kazakhstan - Recent: 1. Various of Ascension Cathedral, man playing guitar; Kazakhstan - Recent 2. Traffic; 3. Chinese tourists sitting on bench; 4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Yang Xiaoyu, Chinese travel vlogger: "The entry process and handling of procedures are particularly smooth."; 5. Various of Chinese tourist talking with locals; 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Gu Siyu, Chinese travel vlogger: "E-payments are very convenient here, as we can use Chinese apps, which are widely popular and accessible even for small vendors. The locals are also very friendly, often approaching us to ask if we need any assistance or have any problems."; FILE: Samarkand, Uzbekistan - Date Unknown 7. Aerial shots of major tourist attractions, historical sites of Samarkand; China - Recent 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) data analyst of Chinese tourism products platform (name not given): "In terms of flight bookings for the upcoming National Day holiday, our data shows that SCO countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are enjoying growing popularity, as the bookings to these two countries increasing by 3.3 times and 2.3 times, respectively. Russia follows closely with an increase of 1.5 times."; Foshan City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent 9. Various of lotus pond, foreign tourists; China - Recent 10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Dai Bin, head, China Tourism Academy (partially overlaid with shots 11-14): "With the increase in tourists, both consumption levels and our consumption structure are continuously improving and optimizing. According to our monitoring, tourist satisfaction has demonstrated steady growth. China has become the world's largest source of outbound tourists and is also a significant destination for inbound tourism. With the upcoming SCO Summit, exchanges between China and SCO countries, especially in the tourism sector, are sure to reach a new peak."; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Shanghai, China - June 2025 11. Tourists walking on street; 12. Various of people at restaurant; people performing at stage; Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent 13. Various of travelers; 14. Various of foreign travelers at immigration checkpoint, filling in forms; [SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, east China - Recent 15. Various of tourists walking, taking photos; 16. Boats in river. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]