China Allows Visa-free Entry To Norway, The First Scandinavian Country To Enable This

Norway is the first Scandinavian country to get benefit from China's visa-free scheme, which aims to boost tourism in Norway.

It is also the latest country to gain free entry to China. Poland, Australia, and New Zealand were also granted unrestricted entry until 2025 in June. Since the start of 2024, the scheme has been announced in stages, with 11 other European countries and Malaysia also gaining visa-free access. It encourages more people to visit China for business and tourism and promotes exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals. Citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland are among the European countries allowed to enter China without a visa until the end of next year. Polish citizens joined the list on 1st July. It has yet to be made clear when the policy will be open to Norwegians. The aim is to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchange and high-level opening up to the outside world, "Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on the initial announcement in November. "

Visa-free entry will be given for up to 15 days in the trial programme. International travel to China is still bouncing back. China's strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early last year, but international travel has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. China previously allowed Brunei, Japan, and Singapore citizens to enter without a visa but suspended that after the COVID-19 outlook.

It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has yet to do so for Japan. In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That comprises 97.7 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic. The government has been making foreign investments to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businessmen have been coming to trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla's Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still rare compared to before the pandemic.

How else is China simplifying travel for Europeans?

Last year, Europeans increased their interest in China as a tourist destination. Data from an online travel agency showed a 663 per cent increase in overall bookings from Europe to China compared to 2022 and an almost 29 per cent increase in 2019. The data shows that the UK and Germany were among the top 10 sources of inbound travellers to China globally.

Shanghai remains the most popular destination among Europeans with its alluring blend of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Sanya, a beachside city on the southern end of China's Hainan Island, and Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province, are emerging destinations. Beyond its new visa-free schemes, the country further encourages inbound tourism by promoting cultural and historical attractions in partnership with the online travel agency. China also enhances its tourism infrastructure by investing in technology travel guides and e-payment systems.

#chinatourism #travelupdate #visa #permit