Tourist groups from ten Southeast Asian countries will be eligible to enter visa-free to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province, China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has said.
Through a statement, NIA said the new changes come as part of efforts to further promote Xishuangbanna’s tourism, VisaGuide.World reports.
In line with the new rules, tourist groups of at least two individuals, from ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)- Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia- will be eligible to enter visa-free to Xishuangbanna and stay there legally for a maximum of six days.
China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has announced that tourists from the ASEAN countries will be eligible to enter and exit China without being subject to visa requirements through the Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, as well as Mohan Highway Port. Travel is limited to the administrative region of Xishuangbanna Prefecture.
This policy marks a significant step towards enhancing autonomous opening-up and supporting Yunnan’s development as the Chinese pivot of opening-up to south and southeast Asia. It is of great importance to advancing the tourism industry in southwest China, promoting people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, and deepening the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership.”
China Recorded Over 20.11 Million Visa-Free Entries in 2024
Authorities in China have intensified efforts to welcome a larger number of tourists. In addition, China is also attempting to facilitate the entry process for foreign nationals travelling to this country for business purposes.
According to the statistics from national immigration data, Guo, the number of inbound and outbound travel by internationals last year was 64.882 million, marking a year-on-year increase of over 82.9 percent.
The same source revealed that among them, a total of 20.11 million entered China without visas, an increase of over 112.3 percent year-on-year.
China saw a positive trend in inbound tourism, with a significant increase in foreign visitor numbers in 2024.
Expansion of Visa-Free Travel List
Last year, China decided to expand its visa-free travel list, allowing a larger number of foreigners to enter this country under facilitated rules.
In November 2024 alone, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it would expand its visa-free policy to more countries, in order to tighten connections with these territories.
The changes that took effect on November 30, 2024, allow nationals from Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Estonia, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro, Malta, Latvia, and Japan to travel visa-free to China until December 31, 2025.
During the same month, China included in its visa-free travel policy the following countries: Denmark, Norway, South Korea, Slovakia, Finland, Andorra, Iceland, Monaco, and Liechtenstein.