Chinese visa-free policy proves effective
China has seen growing orders for inbound tours from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg following the implementation of a visa-free policy for these countries starting March 14.
Chinese visa-free policy proves effective
The Economics of Geography

Chinese visa-free policy proves effective

Photo: AFP/Imaginechina/Luo Yunfei 
Eurasia 22/03/2024 10:30

China has seen growing orders for inbound tours from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg following the implementation of a visa-free policy for these countries starting March 14.

From March 14 to Nov 30 this year, ordinary passport holders from six European countries, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, can enter China visa-free for business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 15 days, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China Daily reported.

On March 14, the number of travel product orders to China from the six countries nearly doubled year-on-year and grew by about 40 percent from the same period in 2019, or before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Trip.com Group, China's largest online travel agency.

Among the six countries, the number of travel product orders to China made by visitors from Switzerland, Belgium, and Hungary more than tripled year-on-year. 

Popular tourist destinations in China for inbound tours include Shanghai; Beijing; Shenzhen and Guangzhou in Guangdong province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; Qingdao, Shandong province; and Xiamen, Fujian province, Trip.com said.

"The expansion of the scope of visa-free policy to different countries, as well as strengthened efforts to improve payment services for foreign visitors, are expected to help promote a fast recovery in inbound tours," said Qin Jing, vice-president of Trip.com Group.

"People from developed European countries such as Switzerland, Belgium and Austria boast high recognition for visiting China, and the number of travelers from those countries is expected to see rapid growth with further resumption of international flights," Qin said.

Since China announced the visa-free policy on March 7, searches for China-related keywords from those countries have surged, with hotel-related keyword searches jumping more than threefold year-on-year from March 7 to Thursday, Trip.com found.

The six European countries have frequent business contacts with China. Trip.com said last year, business travel orders to China from those countries recovered to 90 percent of 2019 levels, and the number of orders has continued to grow rapidly this year.

Meanwhile, Hungary recently announced the issuance of long-term visas for Chinese business executives who visit the country for investment and cooperation.


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