China's expanding visa-free travel policies have made it more convenient than ever for overseas visitors to come and experience the country for themselves, with the measures contributing to a remarkable rise in tourist arrivals throughout the year.
The expansion of the visa-free policies means that tourists from 76 countries are now able to benefit from unilateral or mutual visa-free entry to China, while the citizens of 55 further countries can visit China visa-free in transit for up to 10 days, before traveling on to a third destination.
The increase in visitor numbers is noticeable at one of Beijing’s main airports, where staff say they are seeing a significant surge in international arrivals on a daily basis.
"It's about 15:00 now, and we have reached the peak in entries for the day. It's estimated that about 3,200 people will enter China between 15:00 and 16:00 today, most of whom are from Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asian countries," said Xiong Chengjun, a staff member at the Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection.
As China enters its golden winter tourism season, the country is seeing a growing influx of visitors drawn to its ice and snow landscapes. And from the imperial grandeur of the Forbidden City in the capital, to Shanghai's dazzling skylines, and Chengdu's irresistible hotpot dishes and beloved giant pandas, foreign tourists are discovering not only China's breathtaking landscapes, but also its world-renowned cuisine and rich cultural heritage.
"My sister came to China recently and she told me it was amazing. So, I was like OK: I have to go! For sure we're going to make most of the visa-free entry," said a foreign tourist arriving in the capital.
"We're staying here in Beijing for three days, to see the Great Wall, and Tian'anmen Square," said another.
"I'm from Switzerland. First, I’ll stay in Beijing, and then we go to Kunming, Guilin and Hong Kong," said another visitor.
China's tourism sector is projected to see strong growth this year thanks to the new policies. In the third quarter alone, cross-border trips reached 178 million, a nearly 13-percent increase year on year.
Foreign nationals made more than 7.2 million visa-free entries during the same period, a remarkable 48-percent year-on-year rise, accounting for over 72 percent of all foreign arrivals.
Experts say the visa-free initiatives help play a key role in building connections and fostering exchanges, as China looks to open its doors to the world and welcome more foreign friends.
"For any country, international relations covers three aspects: political, economic and people-to-people exchanges. For political and economic cooperation, we need to push forward these kinds of cooperation on the basis of mutual understanding. The deeper the mutual understanding, the better for the prospects of political and economic cooperation," said Jiang Shixue, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University.
"This new policy is going to help to open more dialogue between social actors, between businesses, and this is going to be really, really good for creating new opportunities," said Daniel Morales an associate professor with the School of International Relations at Sun Yat-sen University.
"To build China into a global tourism powerhouse means using tourism to boost the growth of the country. The idea highlights the important role of tourism in the development of the national economy, society, and culture," said Zhang Yiwu, director of the Cultural Resources Research Center at Peking University.
Visa-free entry opens new window into China for global tourists
