China to reopen to tourists and resume all visa issuance

Move comes after authorities declared victory last month over Covid-19

A woman holds a bouquet of flowers upon arriving at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, on Tuesday. AP

China will reopen its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in the three years since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted by allowing all categories of visas to be issued from Wednesday.

The removal of this last cross-border control measure imposed to guard against Covid-19 comes after authorities declared victory last month over the virus.

Tourist industry insiders do not expect a massive influx of visitors in the short run or a significant boost to the economy. In 2019, international tourism receipts accounted for only 0.9 per cent of China's gross domestic product.

But the resumption of visa issuance for tourism marks a broader push by Beijing to normalise two-way travel between China and the world, after an advisory urging citizens to avoid foreign travel was withdrawn in January.

Areas in China that required no visas before the pandemic will revert to visa-free entry, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. This will include the southern tourist island of Hainan, a long-time favourite destination among Russians, as well as cruise ships passing through Shanghai port.

Visa-free entry for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macau to China's most prosperous province, Guangdong, will also resume — a boon to high-end hotels popular among international business travellers.

“The announcement that China will resume issuing nearly all type of visas for foreigners from tomorrow is positive for Australian businesses whose executives would like to travel to here to visit their China-based teams, customers and suppliers and to explore new business opportunities in the mainland market,” said Vaughn Barber, chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in China.

Events open to tourists

Chinese events open to foreign visitors, such as the China Development Forum in Beijing later this month and the Shanghai Autoshow in April, are gradually resuming.

The once-every-four-years Asian Games will also take place in the eastern city of Hangzhou in September after being postponed last year due to Covid concerns.

But prospective visitors might not immediately arrive in droves.

“In terms of tourism, China is no longer a hotspot destination,” said an executive at China International Travel Services in Beijing, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

“Commercially, the wish of foreigners to run events in China also decreased after Covid because too many things here are impacted by politics, which has scared them off.”