China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries to draw tourists
The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 — almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration.
'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China.
'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own' he said.
After lifting tough COVID-19 restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
30 days for many in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast
In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan.
About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis.
For Norwegian traveler Øystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't very often open, so it was much harder' he said.
'The new visa policies are 100% beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specializes in boutique and luxury routes for international travelers. She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic.
While the U.S. remains their largest source market, accounting for around 30% of their current business, European travelers now make up 15–20% of their clients, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao. 'We're quite optimistic' Zhao said, 'we hope these benefits will continue.'
Trip.com Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, said the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, with 75% of the visitors from visa-free regions.
No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent's relatively close ties with China.
North Americans and some others in transit can enter for 10 days
Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country's National Immigration Administration.
The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren't: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Sweden is the only high-income European country that didn't make the 30-day list. Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish book seller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in 2020. Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China.
___
Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
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Forums should be 550 words and must be exclusive to Travel Weekly; no part of the writing can have been published anywhere else. Forums must not be self-promotional and should be submitted with the understanding that Travel Weekly reserves the right to edit the content for length, style, spelling, clarity, structure, etc. Submissions, along with a high-resolution headshot and a short bio, should be emailed to editor in chief Arnie Weissmann and deputy managing editor Gerry Bourbeau.
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China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries to draw tourists
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A jungle-like section of the island is dense with banyan trees draped with aerial roots that the kids make into a swing. On the nearby beach, crabs scurry about — fishermen use them as bait to catch snapper and other reef fish. Your guide continues the tour, where you'll spot the clinic that has one doctor on staff. One of the two mosques is quite old with a 100-some-year-old sundial outside. At the pier, before getting back on the boat, you'll notice a family park created by Sun Siyam's owner. Here, the community can enjoy the gym equipment, swings, slides and much more. On the Local Island tour, Sun Siyam Vilu Reef, you'll see two mosques, including one that's quite old. Sun Siyam Vilu Reef Farm Tour Produce is grown organically on the Farm Island at Sun Siyam Vilu Reef. Sun Siyam Vilu Reef The speed boat docks at this small island that grows organic produce for a few of the Sun Siyam properties. 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In this hands-on class, you'll be working with a marine biologist who has already collected coral fragments in different sizes and shapes from the surrounding waters. The idea is to attach each of the fragments of two different coral species — Acropora and Pocillopora — to a pyramidal-shaped rebar frame. After all the rebar frames are full of coral fragments, the marine biologist at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi dives and places them into the water. Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Once the frame is full of the attached coral fragments, at another time, the marine biologist will dive and put the frame into the water at a depth of about 16 to 26 feet. (They try to place three to four frames in the water per month.) Then, every two weeks, the biologist checks on the coral to make sure algae don't infiltrate the frame, hindering their growth. Interestingly, almost immediately after planting the frame in the water, there's an increase in marine life around the coral, such as puffer fish and rays. 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Guests enjoy the placid vibe at the Relaxation Area at the Spa at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Anyone who signs up for a treatment can enjoy the open-air hydrotherapy area that's complete with a sauna, steam bath as well as warm and cold pools. Before or after your treatment, you'll want to spend time in the al fresco relaxation area that faces the overwater pebble paths. Here, you can sip a citrus cooler made with orange and pineapple juices along with fresh mint leaves or a green smoothie that's a blend of green apples, cucumber and ginger. Guests who want to address a particular difficulty can sign up for a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. Painting and Bracelet Making Classes Bracelet making class at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is perfect for creating an authentic souvenir. Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Guests who sign up for the painting class at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi come away with another lovely souvenir. Sun Siyam Iru Fushi. Kids and adults alike can use their creativity in these classes, where you'll be guided through the use of acrylic paints and coconut husk-derived coir rope. In the painting class, you'll be able to use your imagination to paint a tropical scene on a tiny plywood surfboard that you can bring home as a souvenir. Another souvenir you can make is a bracelet created from coconut husk-derived coir rope. It has a natural brown color but you can also weave it together with colorful cotton cord so it's more vibrant. Siyam World Siyam World has accommodations for all demographics, including the Grand Water Pavilion that will suit families with kids. Siyam World The Two Story Beach Residence with Pool at Siyam World wraps guests in serene luxury. Siyam World The network of sandy paths at Siyam World are perfect for cycling. Siyam World As the newest of the Sun Siyam Resorts in the Maldives, Siyam World is also the most surprising in terms of breaking the Maldivian activity mold. 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Art Classes Art Studio at Siyam World offers guests the opportunity to explore their creativity and take home their painting as a souvenir. Siyam World Even if you don't consider yourself artistically talented, it's worth signing up for a painting class in this small studio where light streams in through broad windows. The walls are hung with mostly tropical paintings, including those surreal works created by the instructor who hails from Nepal. He helps motivate the guests to paint what interests them, suggesting the appropriate brushes, colors and techniques to best create depth and texture. (You'll be able to take your art home with you as a souvenir to remind you of the Maldives.) Wine Tasting at Barrique Even the entrance at Siyam World's Barrique is unique. Siyam World Even the entry to Barrique, a contemporary underground wine cellar, is unique, down a steep-ish flight of stairs flanked by walls that resemble a mosaic of different sorts of wood. Each of the duo of circular tasting rooms is embellished with a domed, conical ceiling, with wooden ribbing. The subdued lighting at Siyam World's Barrique is perfect for a wine tasting or wine pairing dinner. Siyam World With numerous candles and sconces, one of the pair of rooms has more subdued lighting, perfect for an intimate tasting or a wine dinner. If you sign up for the former, you'll taste three to five different wines during the session that lasts at least an hour, depending on the number of people and their questions. The cellar stocks around 120-some labels, with wines sourced from 16 different countries, including India, Thailand and China. During the tasting, you'll be prompted to see how a given wine pairs with a range of different foods, such as Danish blue and feta, cured salmon, house cured tuna and dark chocolate. At Siyam World's Barrique, the sommelier will discuss how different wines enhance the flavor of a variety of different foods. Siyam World Various foods, including cheeses, can be sampled while sipping wine at Siyam World's Barrique at Siyam World. Siyam World The sommelier will explain how, for example, a full-bodied Gruet — a unique sparkling wine that's fruit-forward — can enhance the flavor of a Swiss cheese or diminish the flavor of a Cheddar; a Gruner Vetliner noted for its grassy notes can reduce the saltiness of the smoked salmon; and a Gruad-Larose, a very smooth red, can dampen the intensity of a blue cheese. Veyo Spa The Veyo Spa at Siyam World is noted for many things, including the network of reflexology paths. Siyam World The treatment rooms at the Veyo Spa at Siyam World bring the outside in. Siyam World Guests delight in the foliage-lined paths at the Veyo Spa at Siyam World. Siyam World The extensive gardens of the Veyo Spa are threaded with myriad pebbled reflexology paths that couldn't be more therapeutic. In fact, once a week, guests can participate in a barefoot power walk. And, like so many things at Siyam World, the spa has some unique or unexpected offerings, such as Laughing Yoga, Kids Yoga, Reiki and Maldivian Cowrie Shell Massage — it's the shell of a sea snail. Sound healing, for example, is a mindfulness practice that many people may not be familiar with. The Veyo Spa Plunge Pools at Siyam World are very refreshing. SIyam World The Sound Healing session at the Veyo Spa at Siyam World may be a unique experience for some. Siyam World The spa holds a 60-minute sound healing session using crystal singing bowls, though Tibetan bowls can be used instead. When each of the bowls is struck or the mallet is rolled along the rim, it produces sounds and vibrations that are said to stimulate (and unblock) different energy centers in the body, referred to as chakras. (Guests are informed about how the bowls work and which chakra each is associated with, whether the heart, solar plexus or throat, for example.) Another traditional healing method is SuJok, where 'Su' is Korean for 'hand' and 'Jok' means 'foot.' This is an acupressure technique to restore balance and enhance physical and mental well being. It starts with a foot soak in warm water with floating hibiscus petals and then a light scrub with pink Himalyan salt followed by a massage with coconut cream. Other wellness, mindfulness or rejuvenating treatments include sunset meditation, mat pilates, Ayurvedic massage, and a Couples Retreat that involves a coconut oil massage, followed by a honey cucumber facial and then a bubble bath where you and your partner will be offered a glass of sparkling wine.
