China to facilitate accommodation for foreign travelers

BEIJING -- China will continue rolling out measures to further facilitate accommodation for foreigners traveling in China, according to a circular released on Thursday.

The circular, which was issued by the Ministry of Commerce and six other government departments, noted that local departments and online booking platforms should not restrict accommodation operators from receiving foreign guests based on qualification requirements.

Online booking platforms and accommodation operators are prohibited from illegally advertising that they do not accept foreign guests, the circular said.

It also called on operators to optimize their management of accommodation registration services for foreign travelers and to simplify their information collection procedures.

Payment services for foreign guests in the accommodation sector will also be facilitated to a greater extent, it said.

The commerce ministry and other relevant government departments have pledged efforts to guide localities in implementing these measures, aiming to provide a more foreigner-friendly accommodation environment and serve high-level opening-up and high-quality development more effectively.