As part of the expansion of the visa-free regime, China has lifted entry restrictions for citizens of Greece, Cyprus, Denmark and Slovenia. The decision comes as part of a strategy to restore international travel following the COVID-19 pandemic.
From October 15, 2024 to December 31, 2025, citizens of the above countries will be able to visit China without a visa for the purposes of tourism, work, visiting relatives or transit for up to 15 days.
Currently, 20 countries, including 17 European ones, are eligible for visa-free entry into China.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the government has decided to provide visa-free travel to Slovenian citizens. This contributed to strengthening friendly relations between the two countries.
Let us recall that in November 2023, a visa-free regime was introduced for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as for citizens of Malaysia. In May 2024, the visa-free regime was extended until the end of 2025. Australia and New Zealand joined the program in June 2024, followed by Norway in September.
Air travel in China is expected to hit a record 700 million this year. This is due to the increase in international travel.
Domestic flights have already carried 350 million passengers in the first half of the year, up 24% year-on-year, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China. While precise data on the number of international passengers has not yet been provided, the Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that numbers have recovered to 79% (of pre-COVID-19 levels).
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