China introduces visa-free entry for travellers aboard cruise ships

China has allowed visa-free entry for foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships in certain ports along the country's coastline. This is reported by CCTV+, a partner of TV BRICS.

Groups of two or more foreign nationals travelling on cruises can enter China without a visa at 13 ports (e.g. Zhejiang, Fujian, Qingdao and Guangdong provinces).

“In order to support the development of cruise tourism, the seven ports of Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beihai have been added as ports where the visa-free transit policy for nationals of 54 countries is applicable, to facilitate international tourists to transit and depart from China via these ports by cruise ships," Mao Xu, director of the administration's foreigners management department said at the press conference.

Travellers who crossed the border under such conditions will be able to stay in the country for up to 15 days and must get to the next port on the same liner.

Earlier it was reported that Chinese authorities are working on modernising the local mobile payment system to facilitate its use by foreign tourists.