On December 17, the National Migration Administration announced that from now on, the stay time of transit visa free foreigners in China will be extended from 72 hours and 144 hours to 240 hours (10 days), and 21 to 60 new ports will be added as entry and exit ports for transit visa free people. Transit visa free foreigners can travel across provinces in 24 provinces (regions, cities) where they are allowed to stay. 240 hours, 60 ports, 24 provinces! Larger scope, wider field, deeper level! Since the beginning of this year, with the continued popularity of "China Travel" inbound tourism, more than 80% of foreign tourists have left near the expiration of the 144 hour "meet China" period. Many people hope to have more time and travel to more places. Call out and respond! Mao Xu, Deputy Director of the National Immigration Administration, said, "Taking into account the cultural and tourism resources, transportation infrastructure, inbound tourism needs of foreigners and other factors, we will further relax and optimize the visa free transit policy, and welcome more foreign friends to experience the new era of China, which is open, inclusive, prosperous, stable, safe and orderly, with a broader scope, broader fields and deeper level of openness." Come on, welcome more foreign friends to enjoy the beauty of China and experience Chinese culture. Optimize the layout of regional openness, expanding the number of provinces eligible for visa free transit policies from 19 to 24, including 9 newly added or expanded provinces; The number of policy applicable ports has increased from 39 to 60, an increase of 54%. After relaxation and optimization, the policy applies to both national key development areas such as Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Chengdu Chongqing region, as well as areas with rich tourism resources, profound cultural heritage, and unique ethnic customs with distinct cultural and geographical characteristics. Five new provinces have been added, namely Shanxi, Jiangxi, Anhui, Guizhou, and Hainan. Shanxi has many ancient buildings and historical sites, Jiangxi ceramics are well-known both at home and abroad, Anhui is an important region for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, Guizhou has rich world natural heritage sites, and Hainan is building the highest level of open free trade port in China... "Five thousand years is far away, but Shanxi is very close," said Li Feng, deputy director of the Shanxi Exit Entry Border Inspection General Station. The Shanxi Border Inspection General Station has improved the on-site inspection infrastructure of the port, designated special zones for temporary entry permits, etc., to ensure smooth customs clearance for foreign tourists and to experience the beauty of "Jin" and "Jin". The implementation of cross regional travel has made travel more convenient. Compared with the 72/144 hour visa free transit policy, the biggest feature of this policy adjustment is to allow cross regional travel. On the one hand, it facilitates foreign tourists to plan their itinerary reasonably and engage in tourism, business and other activities across provinces and multiple locations; On the other hand, it radiates and drives the sharing of tourism resources in various regions, forming economies of scale, enhancing the level of openness, and developing outward oriented economies. At 11:00 on the 17th, at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, American passenger Demana immediately inquired about the 240 hour transit visa free procedures. He plans to travel in Wuhan, Yichang, Xiangyang and other places. Hubei has a rich cultural heritage and a strong technological style. Starting today, you can travel throughout the province and even cross provinces. China is more open and friendly than we imagined! "Policy tiers complement each other, unleashing the benefits of openness. Since the implementation of the new visa free policy for holders of ordinary passports from six countries including France and Malaysia on December 1, 2023, China's" visa free circle of friends "has continued to expand and the time limit has been extended. The National Immigration Administration has launched more than 110 policies and measures to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China, continuously optimizing policies such as visa free transit and port visas, and showing great sincerity in opening up to the outside world at a high level. The dividend of visa free policy is released. Only at the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport port, over 3.5 million foreign tourists have entered Guangzhou in the past year, and international tourism (foreign exchange) revenue has increased by 40.84% year-on-year. At present, China has achieved comprehensive mutual exemption with 25 countries, implemented unilateral visa free policies for 38 countries, and implemented transit visa free policies for 54 countries. After this relaxation and optimization, the transit visa free policy can effectively coordinate and complement regional visa free, unilateral visa free, mutual visa free, etc., better serving high-level opening up and high-quality development. According to the latest statistics, from January to November 2024, 29.218 million foreigners will enter the country at all ports, up 86.2% year on year; Among them, 17.446 million people entered through visa free entry, a year-on-year increase of 123.3%. The number of foreigners coming to China who apply the 72/144 hour transit visa free policy increased by 132.9% year on year. With the implementation of the latest visa free transit policy, we welcome more foreign friends to experience the "city is not city" here and meet more beauty in China. (New Society)