Passengers flying to China check in at the counter at Berlin-Brandenburg airport in Germany, December 1, 2023. (Photo: VCG)

As China has offered to accept the first group of visa-free tourists after the start of the visa-free policy for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia, many incoming countries including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanning, remain better off. passenger flow control, information in multiple languages ​​and inspection control so that beneficial visitors can enter China easily, quickly and safely.

The National Immigration Administration (NIA) reported that this Friday, a total of 2,029 inbound visitors entered China via the visa-free route, a good performance for the first day of implementation of the visa-free policy. 15-day visa for ordinary passport holders of six selected countries.

According to the NIA, the number of people entering China this Friday from the six countries on the list increased by 12.54 percent compared to the previous day. Among these travelers, the largest number of Malaysian passport holders is 1,113 people. Meanwhile, France experienced the biggest increase, growing 52.31 percent compared to the previous day.

Sabrina Chan, a Malaysian passport holder, traveled from Hong Kong to Shanghai with Hong Kong Airlines via visa-free access on Saturday.

“First, I had to fill out an arrival card to give my details, which was easy. Then I headed to the foreigner fingerprinting area, which was also easy and the instructions were easy to follow. There are a lot of stalls and the lines move fast,” he told the Global Times this Sunday.

“Until now I haven’t been asked anything. It’s very smooth and I feel very happy and happy that China and Malaysia are now visa free to visit because I was actually in the middle of applying for a visa before and it was difficult. to get an appointment” Chan recalled.

“You just need to bring your passport and fill out an arrival card with your hotel and plane ticket information. “The entire registration process only takes 15 minutes,” said a travel blogger from Malaysia named Joannes.

Both Chan and Joannes admitted that they did not need to report their health status 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 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 measures, because now his family could come without major preparations.

“I hope this facility can be extended for a longer period. “It will definitely make it easier for more people to enter,” he stressed.

“With the resumption of international flights and the implementation of the new visa-free policy, it is estimated that the number of travelers from visa-free countries for short-term tourism and business exchanges will continue to increase,” said Wang Jing. deputy head of the border inspection station in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Wang highlighted that border inspection stations have improved dynamic monitoring of passenger flow, scientific organization of police forces, earlier opening of channels, and optimization of inspection procedures. The inspection station also added language translation services in English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic at entry and exit halls to help guide foreign passengers.

Border inspection stations at airports in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen have also implemented similar optimization measures to ensure safe and efficient border entry and promote high-quality openness of the country.

China’s border control agency will optimize the deployment of police forces to provide on-site guidance and open adequate inspection channels to ensure efficient border entry at ports, the NIA highlighted in a statement sent this Saturday to the Global Times.

The NIA will also guide the entry and exit departments of public security agencies across the country to make it easier for visa-free tourists to stay in China.

China now has a unilateral visa exemption policy for eight countries, including Asian and European countries.

Inbound tourism orders from six new countries accounted for about 15 percent of inbound tourism to China from January to November, representing an increase of more than 40 percent compared to 2022, data from online travel agent Trip.com highlighted.

Trip.com.determined that, in January to November 2023, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany are the top 10 countries for inbound tourism to China. From January to November 2023, inbound tourism orders to China amounted to around 80 percent compared to the same period in 2019.

(Web editor: Rosa Liu, 周雨)