During the 2024 May Day holiday, China’s immigration authority recorded over 779,000 entry and exit trips made by international travellers, a 98.7 per cent increase compared to a year ago.

From south China’s island province Hainan to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region by the country’s northwest border, wherever they visit, foreign travellers are witnessing more convenience in their trip to China.

Against the backdrop of increasing inbound tourists, China is actively adjusting its relevant policies and putting in place favourable measures to address the needs of international travellers.

In October 2023, China implemented a regional visa exemption for inbound cruise travel tourists. Cruise tour groups organised and received by domestically-registered travel agencies, and entering China via cruise terminals in Shanghai, are granted visa-free entrance. They are also allowed to stay for at most 15 days in coastal provincial-level regions and Beijing.

On May 15, the policy’s coverage was expanded to all cruise terminals in China.

The visa-free policy also played a significant part in boosting local tourism development for Hainan Province. Earlier in February, China announced the extension of the visa-free policy of entering the island, allowing eligible visitors to enter the province for purposes including travelling.

With the policy’s implementation, in the three months’ time from Feb. 9 to May 9, more than 75,000 foreign travellers entered the island visa-free.

China has also decided to extend the visa-free policy for short-term visits to China for 12 countries until the end of 2025, so as to promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals.

Earlier this year, the trouble met by foreign travellers in paying bills caught public attention in China. It turned out that the country’s mobile payment system proved to be not so convenient for foreigners who are accustomed to paying by credit card, cash, or mobile payment apps in their home countries.

To address the problem, a guideline on optimising payment services was issued by the General Office of the State Council in March. It particularly required large business districts, tourist attractions, hotels, hospitals and other key locations to support diversified payment options.

So far, the guidelines are seeing effective implementation. For instance, local authorities in Tianjin worked with financial institutions and payment service providers in upgrading commercial areas so that they can meet more diversified payment service needs.

To better serve foreign travellers, many tourist attractions in China have also studied the needs and preferences of their target customers in order to improve services.