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According to an announcement by the National Immigration Administration on July 30, ALL people from countries with diplomatic relations with China can visit the southern island province of Hainan visa-free for 144 hours (6 days) via tour groups registered in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.
The policy was put into effect on Tuesday, and it applies to all state-established open ports in the province and the travel scope is limited to the administrative region of Hainan, the NIA added.
Each tour group must consist of at least two people, and the group must enter and exit together. Additionally, their activities are limited to the administrative area of the province.
The visa-free stay time starts from the day following the tourists' entry.
The Hong Kong SAR Government applauded the NIA’s announcement on Tuesday. It pointed out that the visa-free stay policy will further promote the integration of tourism markets of Hong Kong and Hainan and inject new vitality into the tourism co-operation between the two regions.
▲A photo taken in July, 2024 shows foreign tourists visiting the Palace Museum in Beijing. /CFP
Although the visa-free stay policy for ALL does not yet cover the whole country, China has continued to introduce, expand and reinstate a range of visa-free policies, providing ongoing momentum for the growth of inbound tourism.
The country has also recorded more and more foreign tourists choosing high-speed rail as a way to better experience China, as opposed to flying from city to city.
▲An undated photo shows foreign tourists visiting the Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai. /CFP
Travelers from the United States, South Korea, Russia, Vietnam and Malaysia are registering the highest volume of high-speed rail ticket bookings since the visa-free policy was expanded to more countries.
Some of the popular destinations for foreign tourists include Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Jinhua, Nanjing, and Suzhou are also among the top 10 most popular destinations.
The issue of "accommodation for foreigners," which once troubled foreign tourists, has improved significantly.
On the Qunar platform, 97 percent of hotels rated three stars or above in Shanghai can accommodate foreign guests. In cities like Beijing and Guangzhou, which cater to both business and leisure travelers, this figure reaches 80 percent.
More Tourists Choose Visa-free Travel to China
According to data from the National Immigration Administration, 14.635 million foreign nationals entered China through various ports in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 152.7 percent. Of these, 8.542 million entered through visa-free policies, an increase of 190.1 percent year-on-year.
The NIA said it will continue to optimize and improve regional visa-free entry policies, further advance a more open immigration management system and warmly welcome foreign nationals to visit China.
Source: State Council of the PRC, NIA, HKSAR Gov
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.*
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