In a bid to boost business and tourism, China plans to grant visa-free access to individuals with ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia, starting December 1, 2023, until November 30, 2024.
During this one-year trial program, citizens from the specified countries will enjoy visa-free entry into China for stays of up to 15 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, and transit, VisaGuide.World reports.
The initiative comes as a strategic move to revive international travel after nearly three years of strict pandemic measures, including mandatory quarantines for all arrivals. Although these restrictions were lifted earlier this year, the recovery of international travel to pre-pandemic levels has been slow.
After the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, China temporarily suspended visa-free entry for citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore. While it restored visa-free entry to Brunei and Singapore in July, the same did not happen to Japan.
At the time, Chinese authorities also announced that citizens from Singapore and Brunei will once again be eligible for visa-free entry into the country. Authorities further revealed that China resumed 15-day visa-free entry for individuals from these two countries, facilitating easier travel between the nations.
In the first half of this year, China recorded 8.4 million foreign inflows and outflows. This figure stands in stark contrast to the 977 million recorded for all of 2019, which was the last year before the pandemic.
In an effort to boost its economy, the Chinese government has actively pursued foreign investment. As a result, several business leaders, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook, have visited trade shows and meetings. However, the return of foreign tourists to pre-pandemic levels remains rare.
Moreover, this month, China signed a visa-free travel agreement with Kazakhstan, which officially entered into force on November 10. This agreement, signed in May of the same year, allows citizens from both countries to visit each other’s territories for purposes such as tourism, business or medical treatment without the initial request for a visa.
In addition, China’s Travel and Tourism sector is projected to make a substantial contribution of 1.48 TN to the national economy by the end of this year. The figure represents an increase of over 150 percent compared to the 2022 figure, where the sector’s contribution stood at $583 billion.
According to the latest analysis by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the sector is on a trajectory to inject an impressive 4 TN of value into China’s economy.
