Adora Magic City, the first large cruise ship built in China, awaits her first commercial passengers at the shipyard in Shanghai on January 1, 2024.
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Travelers entering China via international cruises can stay in selected provinces of the country for up to 15 days without a visa. the government said on Wednesdayas Beijing tries to boost its cruise and tourism industries.
The regulations require foreigners to enter through one of 13 coastal cruise ports in the country, according to a statement from China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA).
Guests must travel as part of a tour group of at least two people organized by a Chinese travel agency and depart the country on the same cruise. Tour groups can travel to Beijing or other coastal provinces.
“The full implementation of the visa-free entry policy for foreign cruise tourists is an important pillar to accelerate the development of China’s cruise economy and an important measure to promote China’s institutional opening,” the NIA said in a statement.
China’s cruise industry has made great strides this year, with the country’s first home-built cruise ship, the Adora Magic City, making its maiden voyage on January 1, according to state media.
On Wednesday, seven cruise ports were also added as eligible points of entry under China’s existing visa-free transit policy, in addition to the previous 31.
Visa-free transit allows citizens from certain countries to stay in China without a visa for up to 144 hours while transiting to another country. In November, Added Norway in countries eligible for visa-free transit to China, bringing the total to 54.
The latest visa-free travel policy reflects China’s “determination and attitude” to “open up to the world” and is a step towards promoting better exchanges between China and foreign countries, the NIA said.
China has been trying to attract tourists since it reopened its borders last year and began restoring international flight routes, ending three years of strict COVID-19 policies.
In December, the country granted a temporary visa waiver for travel of up to 15 days to citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Beijing too established a reciprocal visa waiver agreement with Singapore in February. The program is valid until November of this year.
Companies are also trying to improve the travel experience of foreign tourists. Ant Group, a subsidiary of Alibaba, recently allowed visitors to China to spend up to $2,000 a year through the Alipay mobile app without having to identify themselves to the company.
The efforts come as the country has failed to boost the countdown of foreign travelers to pre-pandemic levels according to NIA data, even as domestic tourism in China has rebounded.
Data shows that 13 million foreigners passed through or exited China in the first three months of this year, down 40% from the same period in 2019.
— CNBC’s Vivien Soo contributed to this report.
