Traveling to China is in vogue in recent months, and “China Travel” a popular search term on multiple online platforms.
This is largely thanks to China’s continuous efforts to expand the visa-free policy for foreigners, including the unilateral opening of 15-day visa-free travel for people from some countries and a 144-hour visa-free transit for people from more than 50 countries, including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
China has also optimized the payment channels for inbound foreign tourists to facilitate their travel. On March 7, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, issued a guideline document requiring a multilevel and diversified payment service system to be put in place for foreign tourists. Ever since, four-star scenic spots and hotels in Beijing have completed the addition of foreign currency exchange points, ATMs and POS machines.
Data from the Chinese authorities show that in the first half of this year, 14.64 million foreign tourists visited China, up 152.7 percent year-on-year. Among them, 8.54 million visits were made through visa-free entry, an increase of 190 percent year-on-year.
After arriving in China, many foreign tourists have found that what they see in China is very different from how some in the Western media portray it. China has made a big step forward in many aspects, including its airports, high-speed rail, and other modern urban infrastructure. At the same time, China is also one of the safest countries in the world, with tourists walking freely on the streets even late at night.
BEIJING YOUTH DAILY