INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels
Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations.The government has
been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power
Beijing.While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now
To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide
2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.30 days
for many in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the MideastIn December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia
Almost all of Europe has been added since then
Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East
The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan.About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on
the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow
director of WildChina, which specializes in boutique and luxury routes for international travelers
She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic.While the U.S
clients, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao
visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism
Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same
period last year, with 75% of the visitors from visa-free regions.No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the
the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came
countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list
United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S
Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish book seller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in
Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China.Source:
