Efforts to make travel to China easier result in uptick in visits

The nation started a visa-free policy for six countries, including France, Germany and Italy, from Dec 1 to Nov 30 this year, with people from these countries allowed to stay on the mainland for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family trips or transit without a visa.

The visa-free policy was extended to another six countries: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, from March 14 to Nov 30 to further boost inbound tourism.

According to the National Immigration Administration, the mainland saw about 2.95 million inbound and outbound visits by international travelers from January to February. The number is 2.3 times higher than the previous two months, and about 41.5 percent of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanya, a tropical spot in the southern province of Hainan, had 64,000 international travelers spend nights there in January, a year-on-year increase of 329 percent, according to China Central Television.

Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, whose scenery is often said to have inspired the movie Avatar, received 98,462 visits by international travelers from January to Feb 27, a figure 34 times higher than the same period last year, CCTV said.