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China reports more trips by foreign travellers in first 2 months of 2024 as visa-free policies take effect
- Foreigners make 2.95 million trips to and from China in January and February, more than double the amount in the previous two-month period
- Tourism ministry official notes uptick in visitors from countries covered by new visa rules, including France, Germany, Spain, Malaysia and Singapore
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In the first two months of 2024, foreign passport holders made 2.95 million trips to or from China, a notable increase due in part to the country’s new visa-free entry policies, according to an official from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
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Shi Zeyi, deputy director of the ministry’s bureau of international exchange and cooperation, said on Friday that the figure was 2.3 times more than in the November-December period and 41.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
“During the Spring Festival period, the effect of China’s visa-free entry policy showed and there was an increase in tourists from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia and Singapore,” Shi said, referring to the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
From February to April, Germany’s TUI Cruises will bring more than 10,000 tourists to China.
On March 10, the international cruise ship Zuiderdam, operated by Holland America Line, brought 2,013 tourists from 47 countries to the port of Dalian in northeast China. It was the first time a large cruise ship has visited northern China since 2019, Shi said.
In recent months, China has granted a series of visa exemptions to foreign travellers to encourage inbound travel as the country faces a tourism slump amid an economic downturn.
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In November, China expanded its visa-free transit policy to Norway, bringing the number of countries covered to 54.
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