Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

TheMK sport boom in "China Travel" reflects China's commitment to advancing high-level opening-up, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry (FM) said on Friday, adding that China warmly welcomes more foreign visitors to come to China and explore and understand the country.

The comments came in response to media inquiries regarding "China travel" being included in the recently released top 10 annual buzzwords in China's 2024 international communication. There have also been remarks from foreign travel bloggers after their visits, such as "China is not what we once imagined," and "[We have] seen a side of China that the Western media would never show."

The rapid growth of "China travel" reflects the country's efforts to advance high-level opening-up, Mao Ning, the FM spokesperson, told a regular press conference. In the first three quarters of the year, China facilitated about 95 million inbound tourist trips, up nearly 80 percent year-on-year, Mao said.

Mao noted that as China continues to open its doors wider and expand its visa-free policies, the popularity of "China Travel" is expected to grow further.

Mao cited an ancient Chinese saying - "Isn't it a pleasure to have friends come from afar?" - noting that hospitality is at the heart of Chinese culture, and openness and inclusivity are central to China's engagement with the world. 

China welcomes more international visitors to come to China, to explore and understand the country, Mao added.

China started rolling out a landmark visa-free trial policy a year ago, extending unilateral visa exemptions to a wider range of countries as part of a broader strategy to attract international visitors. 

In the latest move, the Chinese government has decided to implement a visa-free policy for passport holders from Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan from November 30, 2024, to December 31, 2025, according to the FM. This development brings the total number of countries with visa-free access to China to 38.

To further optimize the visa-free policy, China has decided to include exchange visits as a reason for visa-free entry and extend the visa-free stay period from 15 days to 30 days, per the ministry.

In the third quarter of 2024, foreigners made 8.186 million inbound trips to China, up 48.8 percent year-on-year. Of that number, 4.885 million trips were facilitated by the visa-free policy, up 78.6 percent year-on-year, according to data from the National Immigration Administration released in mid-October.

Global Times