China expands visa-free policy to 9 countries including South Korea | Wilnesh News

Starting Friday, citizens of nine more countries can enter China without a visa.

Holders of ordinary passports from eight European countries (Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein) as well as South Korea can visit for up to 15 days for business or leisure purposes without a visa.

The visa exemption is valid until December 31, 2025.

South Korea is China’s main tourist source market. According to the Korea Times, approximately 4.3 million Koreans visited China in 2019. South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that fewer than 1.3 million people visited South Korea in 2023.

Shares of prominent Chinese and South Korean travel companies rose after Beijing announced an expansion of its visa-free program on Friday.

Trip.com shares rose more than 5%, while budget carrier Jin Air gained nearly 4%.

In 2019, China welcomed approximately 49.1 million tourists – as of July this year, About 17.25 million foreigners entered the countryAccording to national media reports Xinhua News Agency.

China’s visa-free policy helps attract foreigners to visit. Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday that 8.2 million foreigners arrived in the third quarter of 2024, a 49% increase from 2023, and about 4.9 million of them used the program.

According to Chinese state media, officials are also taking steps to ease headaches for international tourists, including payment problems faced by foreigners in China. For example, reports show the government requires major tourist attractions to accept foreign credit cards and cash.

Chinese officials are also seeking to restore flight capacity to pre-pandemic levels. Chinese airlines will increase flights to Europe this winter as major global airlines cancel flights to China due to low demand and ongoing operational issues caused by Russian airspace restrictions.