China welcomed about 214,000 inbound travelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia in December 2023, up 28.5 percent compared with November 2023, after a new visa-free policy for these countries came into effect on December 1, according to China's National Immigration Administration (NIA).
NIA statistics show that more than 55 percent of the inbound travelers were from the six countries and entered China through visa-free channels. More than 77 percent of the 214,000 ordinary passport holders visited the country for sightseeing, leisure or business activities.
The administration vowed to further facilitate inbound travelers to promote high-standard opening-up as flagged at the Central Economic Work Conference held in mid-December.
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