China will grant all kinds of visas starting on Wednesday, reopening its borders to international visitors for the first time in three years since the COVID-19 outbreak started.
Officials last month claimed victory against COVID-19, prompting the dismantling of this last piece of cross-border control.
Professionals in the tourism sector do not anticipate a sudden inflow of tourists or a consequential economic boost soon. Income from overseas travel in 2019 contributed just 0.9% to China's GDP.
Beijing's resumption of tourist visa issuing is part of a larger effort to normalize two-way travel between China and the rest of the globe after withdrawing its travel advice in January, per Reuters.
Visitors from outside China who have valid visas granted before March 28, 2020, will be able to enter the country. Foreigners traveling from Hong Kong and Macao to Guangdong in southern China will once again be able to enter without a visa.
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COVID-19 Screenings Might Still Be Necessary
The notification didn't clarify whether vaccination certifications or negative COVID-19 tests were necessary, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Tuesday that China has "optimized measures for remote testing" of travelers traveling to China from "relevant countries," permitting pre-boarding antigen testing rather than nucleic acid screening, WUSA9 reported.
In December, China abandoned much of its "zero-COVID" approach of unexpected lockdowns and everyday COVID-19 testing after rising resistance.
The rigorous COVID zero policy was eased and certain travel restrictions were eliminated in December.
The quarantine requirement for visitors to mainland China was scrapped on January 8, 2023. Beijing also started facilitating the issuance of visas for locals to travel abroad, according to Euronews.
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