Visitors will be able to stay up to 30 days if they book the tour in a travel agency. Both groups and individual tourists will be received. A 15-day visa-free travel to Hainan has been available for groups from 21 countries since 2000, and from 26 countries from 2010.
The new step will attract more foreign tourists and will develop tourism industry. Hainan is a tropical island destination which is sometimes compared to Hawaii, having a number of resorts with probably the best beaches in China. Foreign tourists have liked it in recent years and their number has been constantly growing. Last year 1.1 million tourists were received that was almost 50 per cent increase in comparison with 2016. More than 90 per cent of tourists came from Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Russia.
To facilitate travelling to Hainan more direct flights are planned to countries with visa-free access in addition to the existing 57 flights. The aim is to reach 100 routes by 2020.
Visa-free Travel to Hainan from May 1 for Tourists from 59 Countries Becomes Possible
News in Asia
Hainan, which is the southernmost island province of China, will welcome tourists from 59 countries, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and the US included, on visa-free basis from May 1.