Innovations and visa-free travel: China introduces new initiatives to attract international tourists

China is trying to introduce new diplomatic steps and initiatives to attract the attention of foreign tourists and attract them to visit the country. Beijing is taking such steps to improve the economic situation and address the problems associated with the pandemic.

The latest achievement of China in the tourism sector is the agreement with Thailand, according to which the countries bilaterally agreed to permanently cancel visas for their citizens. As a result, visas for Chinese and Thai tourists were canceled until February 2024. This was reported by ANI News.

Thus, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed optimism about mutual visa exemptions, stating that it "serves the fundamental interests of both peoples."

In addition, in November, the Chinese government introduced a test program that allows visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia to enter without visas for 15 days. This decision will allow foreign tourists to enter and stay in the country freely until the end of November 2024.

According to the National Immigration Administration, thanks to this policy, 118,000 travelers from these six countries were able to enter China without visas last December. At the same time, 77% of foreign tourists came to China for sightseeing, leisure, and work or business. However, it is noted that the success of such an initiative in the long term is still unknown.

In addition, China has taken similar steps for citizens of the United States of America. Thus, as of January 1, US travelers do not need to show round-trip tickets to apply for a tourist visa.

In the end, despite some progress, China has not reached the pre-civil war level of tourism. In the first half of 2023, the country recorded 8.4 million arrivals and departures of foreign nationals, which is less than 30% in 2019. In the third quarter of last year, this figure rose to 8 million, bringing it to only half of the total number of tourists in the period before the COVID-19 pandemic.