China will ease visa restrictions on people arriving from the United States, the country's latest attempt to attract foreign travelers since reopening its borders earlier this year.
Starting Jan. 1, U.S. tourists will no longer be required to submit return flights, proof of hotel reservations, itineraries or invitations to China, according to a notice posted online Friday by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
The simplified application process aims to “further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States,” the notice said.
The move comes as China struggles to rejuvenate its tourism sector after three years of strict pandemic measures, including mandatory quarantines for all arrivals. Although these restrictions were lifted earlier this year, international travelers have been slow to return.
According to immigration statistics, China recorded 8.4 million entries and exits of foreigners in the first half of this year, compared with 977 million in all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
In another effort to boost tourism, China announced last month that it would allow visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia for up to 15 days.
The one-year pilot program signaled China's “high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a daily briefing.
But China's efforts to lure American tourists may face other headwinds. International flights between the two countries, stipulated in a bilateral agreement, remain well below pandemic levels, although they have slowly increased in recent months.
Over the summer, amid deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington, the US advised Americans to reconsider travel to China, citing the risk of unlawful detentions and exit bans.
“The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is arbitrarily enforcing local laws, including issuing exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries, without due process and due process under the law,” the advisory body said.
