China plans to ease visa restrictions for visitors from the United States, the country’s latest effort to attract foreign tourists since reopening its borders earlier this year.
Starting Jan. 1, American tourists will no longer need to submit round-trip tickets, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China, according to a notice posted online by the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Friday. .
The simplified application process is aimed at “further facilitating people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States,” the notice states.
The move comes as China struggles to revitalize its tourism sector after three years of strict pandemic measures, including mandatory quarantine for all arrivals. Although these restrictions were lifted earlier this year, the return of international travelers has been slow.
Immigration statistics show that 8.4 million foreigners entered and left China in the first half of this year, down from 977 million in all of 2019, before the pandemic.
In another effort to boost tourism, China announced last month that it would allow citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia to enter the country visa-free for up to 15 days.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing that the one-year trial program demonstrated China’s “high level of opening up to the outside world.”
But China’s efforts to attract American tourists could face other headwinds. International flights between the two countries, as defined in bilateral agreements, remain well below pandemic levels, but have gradually increased in recent months.
As Sino-American relations deteriorated over the summer, the United States advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China due to the risk of unfair detention and exit bans.
“The government of the People’s Republic of China arbitrarily enforces local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries, without following fair and transparent procedures based on law,” the advisory said. said.