Passengers flying to China check in at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport counter in Germany, December 1, 2023. (Photo: VCG)
Since China has offered to welcome the first group of visa-free travelers after the start of the visa exemption policy for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia, multiple entry including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanning, maintains better control of passenger flow, information in multiple languages and inspection controls so that visitors Beneficiaries of entering China easily, quickly and safely.
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) reported that on Friday, a total of 2,029 inbound visitors entered China through visa-free channels, a good performance for the first day of the implementation of the visa exemption policy. The six selected countries.
According to the NIA, the number of people entering China on Friday from the six countries on the list rose by 12.54 percent compared to the previous day. Of these travellers, the majority were Malaysian passport holders, at 1,113 individuals. For their part, the French achieved the largest increase, reaching 52.31 percent growth compared to the previous day.
Sabrina Chan, who holds a Malaysian passport, traveled from Hong Kong to Shanghai on Hong Kong Airlines via visa-free entry on Saturday.
“First, I had to fill out an arrival card to provide my details, which was easy. Then I headed towards the self-collection area for foreigners’ fingerprints, which was also easy and the instructions were easy to follow. There were many kiosks and the line moved quickly,” she said. This is what he revealed to the Global Times on Sunday.
“So far I have not been asked any questions. It has been very smooth and I am thrilled that China and Malaysia are now visa-free to visit because I was in the middle of applying for a visa before and it was difficult to get appointments,” Chan recalls.
“You just have to bring your passport and fill out the arrival card with your hotel and plane ticket information. The whole registration process only took 15 minutes,” said a Malaysian travel blogger named Juan.
Both Chan and Juanes said they do not need to report their health condition when passing through customs.
From December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, ordinary passport holders from six countries can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, visiting family and friends, and staying for no more than 15 days.
An Italian engineer named Franco, who works in Shanghai, told the Global Times that he and his colleagues really appreciated the new procedure, as his family could now attend without much preparation.
“I hope this facility will be extended for a longer period of time. It will definitely facilitate the entry of more people,” he asserts.
“With the resumption of international flights and the implementation of the new visa exemption policy, the number of travelers from visa-free countries for short-term tourism and business exchanges is estimated to continue to increase,” Wang Jing said. Deputy head of the border inspection station in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
Wang stressed that the border inspection station has improved dynamic monitoring of passenger flow, scientific organization of police forces, early opening of channels, and improved inspection procedures. The inspection station also added interpretation services in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic at the entry and exit hall to help guide foreign passengers.
Airport border inspection stations in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen have also implemented similar improvement measures to ensure safe and efficient border entry and promote the country’s high-quality opening-up.
China’s border monitoring agencies will improve the deployment of police forces for on-site guidance and open sufficient inspection channels to ensure effective border entry at ports, the NIS highlighted in a statement sent on Saturday to the Global Times.
The NIA will also direct the entry and exit departments of public security agencies across the country to provide convenience to travelers entering without a visa to stay in China.
China now has a unilateral visa exemption policy for eight countries, covering both Asian and European countries.
Tourism orders from the six new countries accounted for about 15 percent of China’s tourism arrivals from January to November, representing an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2022, travel agency data highlights on website Trip.com. .
Trip.com.com determined that from January to November 2023, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany were the top ten countries for inbound tourism to China. From January to November 2023, inbound tourism orders to China reached about 80 percent compared to the same period in 2019.
(Web Editor: Rosa Liu, 周雨)
