China seeks visa-free agreement with more countries as tourism rebounds

BEIJING - The authorities in China are set to ink visa-free agreements with more countries as the social distancing protocols stand lifted and tourism makes a recovery in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the country will expand visa-free travel to more countries and seek more countries for mutual visa exemption.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that up to now, China has inked mutual visa exemption agreements covering different types of passports with 157 countries, reached agreements or arrangements on simplified visa procedures with 44 countries and enjoyed comprehensive mutual visa exemptions with 23 countries, including Thailand, Singapore, the Maldives and UAE.

The comments come in the backdrop of recent agreements with countries regarding visa-free travel though no country was specifically named for future visa-free liberty. For instance, China and Thailand recently signed a visa-free agreement on a permanent basis set to go into effect in March.

This agreement follows visa exemption agreements between China and some other Southeast Asian countries, which shows China's commitment to making it more tourist-friendly.

A few weeks ago, China and Singapore signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption, which will officially come into effect on February 9. Moreover, Malaysia also exempted Chinese citizens from visa requirements which will benefit globetrotters.

After the mutual visa exemption agreement was inked between China and Singapore and between China and Thailand, the number of travel bookings for the Spring Festival increased by a significant amount. 

The agreements come in the broader context of travel mobility as the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently said that international tourism numbers are set to recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024.

A "stronger recovery of Asian markets" and a corresponding rise in the number of airline connections are "expected to underpin a full recovery by the end of 2024," said a report by the organization.

It bears mentioning that China faced the brunt of Covid-19 and also faced a barrage of allegations for its handling of the covid though the country is now on track to amend its visa regime to welcome more tourists.