Visa-free policies bearing fruit

[Yang Meini/For China Daily]

For Akenarong Suksupakit, the chic cafes in Shanghai, the bustling Hongya Cave commercial district in Chongqing and the giant panda base in Chengdu, Sichuan province, are no longer just destinations on a map — they are key stops for his travel business.

Having lived in China for four years, the 33-year-old Thai entrepreneur, also known by his nickname Ake, is witnessing firsthand the conducive effect of the visa-free travel agreement between China and Thailand.

Thailand is one of the three countries that signed a mutual visa-free agreement with China in the first half of this year. The other two are Singapore and Georgia.

The policy change has not only opened doors for curious Thai tourists eager to explore China's vast cultural landscapes, but has also injected fresh energy into Ake's travel agency back in Thailand.

The agreement with Thailand, which came shortly after a similar agreement between China and Kazakhstan took effect in November last year, is part of the ongoing efforts of the world's second-largest economy to stimulate its tourist market and bolster its opening-up efforts.

Repeatedly voicing its eagerness to welcome foreign tourists, the Chinese government has adopted a series of measures to make cross-border travel more convenient.

The country granted a 15-day visa-free policy to six European countries in March, and further expanded the policy to New Zealand, Australia and Poland in July.

Since May 15, foreign travelers participating in group tours on cruise ships can enter China's coastal provincial-level regions and Beijing visa-free through 13 designated ports, including Dalian in Liaoning province and Shanghai, for up to 15 days, as long as these tours are organized by domestic travel agencies and the travelers proceed to their next destination with the ships.

In July, the country increased the number of ports participating in the 144-hour visa-free transit scheme to 37 by including an airport in Zhengzhou, Henan province, an airport in Lijiang, Yunnan province, and a railway port in Yunnan.

Such measures have helped trigger a surge of inbound travelers in China.

The National Immigration Administration said the number of foreigners entering China visa-free in the first half of this year increased year-on-year by 190 percent to 8.54 million.

Yunnan, one of China's gateways to Southeast Asia, also saw a spike in international travelers. In the first half of the year, more than 120,000 foreign passengers entered China visa-free through Kunming Changshui International Airport in Kunming, capital of Yunnan — a year-on-year increase of about 1,800 percent, according to reports. Most of them were from countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

Agencies benefit

The significant increase of inbound travelers has turned into big earnings for travel agencies.

Trip.com Group, an online travel agency based in China, said that in the first quarter of this year, revenue generated by its international sector was up 80 percent year-on-year.

Also during the period, the number of travelers coming from Singapore was 10 times higher, and there were five times as many travelers from France, Spain and Thailand, the travel agency said.

Hu Jiying, deputy general manager of CYTS International Travel Co, said her company has also received a remarkably larger number of inbound clients.

CYTS has seen a bump in business from Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, Hu said. In particular, the number of bookings made by travelers from Poland for September and October is "pretty good" due to the visa-free policy, she said.

Such policies have altered the booking patterns of the company's clients, many of whom are Europeans, Hu said, with more of them beginning to make travel plans shortly before they depart.

"Some are adding new travelers to their plans just two months ahead of their trips. Such readjustments used to be rather unlikely," she said.

In May, China extended its visa-free policies to the end of 2025. The extension has helped CYTS secure many orders for next year, Hu said.

More convenience

China has also strengthened efforts to make it easier for foreigners to make payments and arrange accommodations in the country over the past year.

In March, the country issued a guide for foreign visitors to help them facilitate payments with bank cards, smartphones and cash. The guide includes instructions on how to add their bank cards to mobile payment applications and where to withdraw cash.

Alipay and WeChat, two major mobile payment channels in China, have raised the amount of money foreigners can spend per transaction, as well as the total amount they can spend yearly.

Still, the growing trend of making payments using mobile devices in China may be challenging for some foreign visitors who are more used to using credit cards or cash.

To address the issue, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released a guideline calling on authorities to encourage more businesses to accept foreign bank cards.

In addition, payments made with cash should be guaranteed, and businesses should be prepared to offer change, it said, urging the authorities to continue to rectify the behavior of some businesses that refuse to accept cash.

The People's Bank of China, the central bank, said in May that it has fined seven companies a combined 198,000 yuan ($27,700) for refusing to accept cash this year.

Seven central departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, issued a notice in July in the latest move to further facilitate foreigners' stay in hotels.

It encouraged hotels to upgrade their services, including providing information about travel, transportation and shopping, offering international phone services and putting up signs in both Chinese and other languages.

This came two months after the Ministry of Public Security and two other departments said hotels must not refuse to accommodate foreign guests citing a lack of related qualifications as an excuse.

Great place to visit

For many foreign travelers, China has remained a top destination for holidays, with its rich abundance of cultural heritage and natural landscapes.

Laura Webster, a 62-year-old Canadian, said she is impressed by the level of safety in China.

"I've been in many cities (in China). At different times of the day, I always feel very safe walking around by myself," said Webster, who has visited China more than a dozen times. She uses the English version of WeChat to make mobile payments in China and she said she likes the fact that she can access Didi, an online ride-hailing service, through the application.

Valentina Prokopeva, who is studying for her doctoral degree in Beijing, said when her mother came to visit her in May, they had a good time traveling together. They visited the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and other places.

"My mom's favorite places are those of historical value," the 27-year-old Russian said, adding that she hopes next time she can take her mother to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, a city boasting rich cultural relics.

Ake, the Thai citizen who also works as a social media influencer by posting videos of his trips in China, said China is "such a vast land with various kinds of scenes, food and people" that needs to be visited many times to fully absorb its beauty.