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Malay Mail
11-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Alibaba's Amap Launches China's First Multilingual Map with 14 new Languages for Overseas Users
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 July 2025 - As China continues to streamline its visa, transportation, payment and departure tax refund policies, interest in "China Travel" is soaring. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, foreign inbound tourists reached 7,367,400 in the first quarter of 2025, a 39.2% increase further enhance the travel experience for foreign visitors, Alibaba Group's Amap officially launched China's first multilingual map on July 9. Building on its existing Chinese and English versions, the platform now supports 14 additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, and users can now directly download the multilingual version of Amap via the App Store and Google this year, Amap became the first domestic platform to introduce an English-language map specifically designed for overseas users, providing a more pleasurable and seamless travel experience in China. The release of the multilingual version further broadens language coverage, enabling users from non-English-speaking countries to also benefit from Amap's high-quality mobility multilingual version features a fully localized interface and geographic information, accurately displaying locations across China. It includes names and descriptions of key places such as tourist attractions, restaurants, and hotels, assisting foreign visitors in quickly familiarizing themselves with and navigating their surroundings multilingual version is seamlessly integrated with Amap's core functions, allowing foreign visitors to access the same driving, walking, cycling, and public transport navigation services as local also features an English-language ride-hailing function, allowing foreign visitors in China to book vehicles across multiple platforms with a single tap, while easily accessing key information such as pick-up locations and fare under Alibaba Group, is a leading provider of professional travel and location service solutions. Since its inception, Amap has remained committed to "connecting the real world with a living map for smarter journeys and better living." In the future, Amap will continue to enhance its multilingual services, covering more languages and usage scenarios, to help overseas users seamlessly adapt to travel and life in #Amap #Alibaba #Travel #Ride-hailing #Map #Navigation The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alibaba's Amap Launches China's First Multilingual Map with 14 New Languages for Overseas Users
Hong Kong SAR--(Newsfile Corp. - July 10, 2025) - As China continues to streamline its visa, transportation, payment and departure tax refund policies, interest in "China Travel" is soaring. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, foreign inbound tourists reached 7,367,400 in the first quarter of 2025, a 39.2% increase year-on-year. To further enhance the travel experience for foreign visitors, Alibaba Group's Amap officially launched China's first multilingual map on July 9. Building on its existing Chinese and English versions, the platform now supports 14 additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. Overseas users can now directly download the multilingual version of Amap via the App Store and Google Play. Earlier this year, Amap became the first domestic platform to introduce an English-language map specifically designed for overseas users, providing a more pleasurable and seamless travel experience in China. The release of the multilingual version further broadens language coverage, enabling users from non-English-speaking countries to also benefit from Amap's high-quality mobility services. The multilingual version features a fully localized interface and geographic information, accurately displaying locations across China. It includes names and descriptions of key places such as tourist attractions, restaurants, and hotels, assisting foreign visitors in quickly familiarizing themselves with and navigating their surroundings effortlessly. The multilingual version is seamlessly integrated with Amap's core functions, allowing foreign visitors to access the same driving, walking, cycling, and public transport navigation services as local users. It also features an English-language ride-hailing function, allowing foreign visitors in China to book vehicles across multiple platforms with a single tap, while easily accessing key information such as pick-up locations and fare estimates. Amap, under Alibaba Group, is a leading provider of professional travel and location service solutions. Since its inception, Amap has remained committed to "connecting the real world with a living map for smarter journeys and better living." In the future, Amap will continue to enhance its multilingual services, covering more languages and usage scenarios, to help overseas users seamlessly adapt to travel and life in China. Hashtag: #Amap #Alibaba #Travel #Ride-hailing #Map #Navigation Jimmy The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. To view the source version of this press release, please visit Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Zawya
11-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Alibaba's Amap Launches China's First Multilingual Map with 14 new Languages for Overseas Users
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 July 2025 - As China continues to streamline its visa, transportation, payment and departure tax refund policies, interest in "China Travel" is soaring. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, foreign inbound tourists reached 7,367,400 in the first quarter of 2025, a 39.2% increase further enhance the travel experience for foreign visitors, Alibaba Group's Amap officially launched China's first multilingual map on July 9. Building on its existing Chinese and English versions, the platform now supports 14 additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Malay, Indonesian, and users can now directly download the multilingual version of Amap via the App Store and Google this year, Amap became the first domestic platform to introduce an English-language map specifically designed for overseas users, providing a more pleasurable and seamless travel experience in China. The release of the multilingual version further broadens language coverage, enabling users from non-English-speaking countries to also benefit from Amap's high-quality mobility multilingual version features a fully localized interface and geographic information, accurately displaying locations across China. It includes names and descriptions of key places such as tourist attractions, restaurants, and hotels, assisting foreign visitors in quickly familiarizing themselves with and navigating their surroundings multilingual version is seamlessly integrated with Amap's core functions, allowing foreign visitors to access the same driving, walking, cycling, and public transport navigation services as local also features an English-language ride-hailing function, allowing foreign visitors in China to book vehicles across multiple platforms with a single tap, while easily accessing key information such as pick-up locations and fare under Alibaba Group, is a leading provider of professional travel and location service solutions. Since its inception, Amap has remained committed to "connecting the real world with a living map for smarter journeys and better living." In the future, Amap will continue to enhance its multilingual services, covering more languages and usage scenarios, to help overseas users seamlessly adapt to travel and life in #Amap #Alibaba #Travel #Ride-hailing #Map #Navigation Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release. The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
Zawya
09-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
British Airways wants to see UK added to China's visa waiver scheme
British Airways would like to see Britain added to China's growing list of countries eligible for its 30-day visa-free scheme to increase demand after suspending its Beijing flights last year, an executive said on Wednesday. China has been steadily extending its 30-day visa waiver scheme. As of June, it included 55 countries. It does not include Britain, although British passport holders last year were included in a 240-hour transit visa-free policy. "We're working with the UK government and diplomatically with the China government around seeing if we can get the UK into that programme," the airline's Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, Neil Chernoff, told media in Shanghai. "I think that that's one way that we can improve demand." British Airways suspended flights to Beijing in October, one of several foreign carriers that pulled Chinese services as they struggle with a ban on flying over Russian airspace and a slower than expected rebound in Chinese travel after the pandemic. Longer flights around Russia mean higher fuel and crew costs, and aircraft utilisation is lower, putting airlines that cannot overfly Russia at a disadvantage to Chinese carriers that can take those shorter routes. "In a place like China, which is not subject to the same restrictions we have in the UK, they can obviously offer a more competitive product because their flight times are less," Chernoff said. British Airways, which still flies daily to Shanghai and Hong Kong, is constantly evaluating whether to bring back its Beijing route. Demand has not caught up with increasing supply since the pandemic, Chernoff said. When the direct flights from London Heathrow to Beijing were halted, the airline initially said the suspension would last until November 2025, but there is no timeline yet of when they will resume, Chernoff said at an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of British Airways' Shanghai route. Britain's Foreign Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. British Airways has a joint venture with state-owned China Southern and on Wednesday said it was deepening it by allowing frequent flier points to be collected and redeemed by both sides. (Reporting by Casey Hall, Sophie Yu and Lisa Barrington. Editing by Mark Potter)
Asharq Al-Awsat
08-07-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China Extends Visa-free Entry to More Than 70 Countries to Draw Tourists
Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. 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, The Associated Press reported. '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. 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 US 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.' 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 US and Mexico. Aside from the UK, Sweden is the only other 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.
