China is trying to make it easier for tourists to visit by allowing them to enter without needing a visa if they come on cruise ships. This is part of their plan to get more people from other countries to visit China, especially since not many have been coming lately.
Starting from today, tourists on cruise ships can stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa. They can come through 13 different ports like Shanghai, Qingdao, Dalian, and Haikou. This was announced by Mao Xu, a senior official, during a press conference in Beijing. China New Police will be effected from 15 May 2024.
To qualify for this visa-free entry, tourists need to be part of a group organized by a travel agency in China. They can travel to different coastal areas and even Beijing during their stay.
Mao Xu says this new rule will help the cruise industry grow and bring more tourists to China. It will also make it easier for people from different countries to visit China and interact with Chinese people.
China has many cruise ships that stop at its ports before going to places like Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. Last year, over 107,000 people traveled to China on cruise ships.
China has been trying different ways to attract more tourists, like giving visa-free entry to people from certain countries. They even made their own cruise ship to give locals more options for traveling abroad.
But it might still be hard for China to get more visitors, especially because of the economy and less interest in travel due to Covid. For example, an Australian airline stopped flights to Shanghai because not many people were flying between Australia and China.
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