From Friday, citizens of nine more countries will be able to enter China without a visitor visa.
Ordinary passport holders from eight European countries (Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein) and South Korea can visit the country visa-free for up to 15 days for business or leisure purposes.
The visa waiver is expected to remain in effect until December 31, 2025.
South Korea is a major tourism source market for China. According to the Korea Times, approximately 4.3 million South Koreans visited China in 2019. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the number of visitors in 2023 was less than 1.3 million.
Shares of prominent travel companies in China and South Korea rose on Friday after the Chinese government announced an expansion of its visa-free program.
Trip.com’s stock rose more than 5%, and low-cost airline Jin Air rose nearly 4%.
Initiatives to revitalize tourism
It is the latest country to be added to China’s ever-expanding visa-free program, which is aimed at boosting inbound tourism, which has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
In 2019, China received approximately 49.1 million tourists. According to state media Xinhua News Agency, as of July this year, about 17.25 million foreigners had arrived.
China’s visa-free policy helps attract foreigners to visit. In the third quarter of 2024, 8.2 million foreigners arrived, an increase of 49% from 2023, and about 4.9 million people took advantage of the program, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Chinese state media said authorities were also working to ease headaches for foreign travelers, such as payment problems they encounter in the country. For example, the government is requiring major tourist attractions to accept foreign credit cards and cash, reports show.
Chinese authorities also aim to return air flight capacity to pre-pandemic levels. Chinese airlines are planning to fly to Europe this winter after the world’s major airlines are canceling flights to China, citing low demand and ongoing operational issues due to Russian airspace restrictions. Adding flights.
