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Tourists take photos of the Nine-turning Bridge in Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai on May 20, 2024. Photo: VCG

Bookings for summer travel to China from Australia, New Zealand and Poland have surged significantly, after China recently extended its visa-free policy to citizens from the three countries, in another move set to boost inbound travel. 

The Department of Consular Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a notice on Tuesday that starting from July 1, citizens from the three countries who carry ordinary passports can enter China without a visa for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends and transiting for no more than 15 days. 

The trial visa-free program, which is scheduled to run through December 31, 2025, aims to further promote personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries, according to the notice. Those who are not eligible for the visa-free policy still need to apply for a visa before traveling to China. 

The extension of the trial visa-free program to Australia, New Zealand and Poland had already been announced, prior to Tuesday's notice, and has apparently boosted demand for travel to China in the upcoming summer vacation.

According to data provided by Ctrip, a major Chinese online travel booking platform, bookings for summer travel to China from the three countries have increased by 40 percent year-on-year, and the top destinations include Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province and Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.  

"After the visa-free policies are implemented, trips to China from the three countries will further increase," Ctrip said, noting that bookings from the three countries have already been growing significantly this year. 

So far this year, bookings for trips to China from Australia jumped by 155 percent year-on-year, while those from New Zealand increased by nearly 60 percent. Meanwhile, the number of flights between China and Australia surged by 220 percent year-on-year, and the number of flights between China and Poland have recovered to about 70 percent of the pre-pandemic level. 

In a bid to promote cross-border travel and attract foreign visitors, China has extended its trial visa-free program to a growing number of countries, including France, Switzerland and Malaysia. 

In the first quarter of 2024, the number of entrances and exits inspected by Chinese immigration authorities reached 141 million, up 117.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration. Among them, the number of entrances and exits made by foreign nationals jumped by 305.2 percent year-on-year to more than 13 million, the data showed.