A longer Visa-free list signifies how China's gate is opening wider
Since last year, China has implemented a visa-free policy for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, and reached mutual visa exemption agreements with Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Facilitated by the policies, Chinese tourists' travel bookings to the latter three countries increased by over 30% compared to 2019, while bookings from all the mentioned countries to China doubled against 2019.
China's growing performance market boosts tourism, consumption
With the recent boom in China's performance market, it has become increasingly common to see people traveling long distances to see shows, dragging their suitcases from city to city. The national performance market saw a huge surge in both supply and demand in 2023. Data from the China Association of Performing Arts shows that in the first three quarters of 2023, the number of commercial performances reached 342,400 nationwide, an increase of 278.76 percent year on year.
Fresh Chinese destinations under spotlight at Singapore travel fair
China has long been a popular travel destination among Singaporean residents, and fresh routes to China received special attention at the ongoing NATAS Travel Fair, according to the participating travel agencies. Many residents from the tropical state are also interested in ice and snow.
China restarts issuing visas to Lithuanians
Chinese authorities have started reissuing visas to nationals of Lithuania, a spokesperson for the foreign minister, Paulinas Levickytė, told the ELTA news agency. Recently, Georgian passport holders have been granted visa-free entry to China for stays up to 30 days. Meanwhile, citizens of the latter can travel to Georgia under the same conditions since September 2023. China has taken such measures in a bid to attract more international tourists and return to pre-pandemic figures.
Fliggy and Amadeus expand partnership to give travelers more options in hospitality
Fliggy, an online travel platform and subsidiary of Alibaba Group, has announced an expanded partnership with travel technology provider Amadeus by signing on to Amadeus Value Hotels. Alitrip, the corporate travel management division under Fliggy, has also signed an agreement to support its customers’ corporate travel in and out of China. Its customers will be able to shop and book hospitality content via the Amadeus Travel Platform.
Major aircraft lessor Air Lease isn't interested in China’s C919
The executive chairman of Air Lease, one of the largest aircraft lessors in the world, said the company isn’t planning to buy China’s C919 jets. “The CCP and COMAC are very interested in selling the C919,” said Air Lease executive chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy at the Wings Club in New York on Thursday. “But it’s a one-way dating relationship.”
Hainan trials program to streamline payments for foreigners
South China’s Hainan Province has started public testing of a program designed to resolve payment issues for foreign nationals visiting China. The program, which opened to 238,000 businesses on Friday, has seen significant participation from renowned tourist attractions in Hainan. This includes businesses in sectors such as catering, accommodation, travel and entertainment. Registered businesses can download an application from their Android smartphones with NFC capability and use the device to handle transactions via VISA and Mastercard cards issued overseas. Additionally, it supports Apple Pay or other electronic wallets connected to VISA or Mastercard services.
East China city's tourism continues to flourish after holiday period
The tourism market in Jinan City in Shandong Province continued to thrive, following the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival holidays. In an old town area, weekends saw a bustling crowd of visitors strolling through the ancient streets.
