Chao News reporter Ying Tao correspondent Yu Xichuwa Li Ling.
Incoming foreigners are filling out the Arrival Card. Photo by Yu Xichuwa.
On December 28, the reporter learned from the Hangzhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station that since the trial implementation of the visa-free policy of the six countries, as of 12 o'clock on the same day, more than 5,200 overseas tourists who meet the visa-free policy of the six countries have entered the country from Hangzhou port. Among them, the number of people from the six countries increased by more than 50% in November.
Starting from December 1, China has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from six countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. In December, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which returned to the ranks of the world's busiest airports with a "40 million level", has become a popular port for passengers from six countries to enter the country.
Ma Yichao, deputy captain of the first team on duty at the Hangzhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station, told reporters that most of the passengers from the six countries who entered the country from the Hangzhou port after the policy was implemented were from Spain and Italy. "Among these tourists, the number of tourists coming to China has increased significantly, accounting for 60 percent, and business tourists also account for 40 percent. ”
The Border Police provided advice to Mr. Mario Emilio on the visa-free policy. Photo by Yu Xichuwa.
At 8:50 a.m. on the 28th, Capital Airlines flight JD606 from Madrid, Spain to Hangzhou landed, and 26 of the 196 passengers on board met the visa-free policy of the six countries. Mr. Mario Emilio is one of them. With a smile on their faces, the family of three arrived at the immigration hall of the border inspection and quickly completed the entry clearance procedures.
Mario sighed: "Compared with my first visit to China more than ten years ago, this time I enjoy the visa-free policy, which is much more convenient!."Mario lives in a city in southeastern Spain, and if he wants to apply for a Chinese visa, he needs to rush to Madrid, which is more than 400 kilometers away, and it takes five hours to drive at the earliest. Regardless of the long distance and time, their biggest concern was that the family could not apply for visas at the same time, delaying the trip to China. "We were still worried, but we saw the news that China was trying visa-free access to Spain. This time, Mario said, they estimated the travel time, bought their tickets and set off.
The friendship between countries lies in the people-to-people relationship. Visa-free entry within 15 days makes visiting relatives and friends and tourism a new incremental opportunity in the domestic tourism market. According to the public data of the search volume of international air tickets for the same trip, on the day of the announcement of China's decision to expand the scope of unilateral visa-free countries on a trial basis, as of 18:00 that night, the search volume of air tickets entering Malaysia was three times that of the previous day, and the search volume of inbound air tickets from France, Germany, Italy and other countries exceeded 100%.
Ms. María del Carmen, a Spanish businessman, praised the border police. Photo by Yu Xichuwa.
The trial implementation of the visa-free policy has also encrypted the commercial and trade exchanges between the six countries and China. Mario and his family arrived in Hangzhou on the same plane as María del Carmen, a Spanish businessman. The 45-year-old has been to China four times. This time, she will transfer to Dalian in Hangzhou for an 11-day business trip. "In the past, when I came to China, I had to go to the embassy one month in advance to apply for a visa, and I had to think about a lot of things, worrying that the documents were incomplete, the visa was too late, and so on. But this time, Maria felt very smooth, "As soon as I landed, the border control checked my passport and cleared me through customs, and told me where to transfer and where to pick up my luggage. The efficient service makes me look forward to getting to know more about China. ”
The "entry fever" brought about by the visa-free policy will continue. According to the Hangzhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station**, approaching New Year's Day, the passenger flow of Hangzhou port will increase significantly, and it is expected that more than 270,000 people will enter and exit in December, an increase of more than 28% compared with November, and the total number of people entering and exiting in 2023 is expected to exceed 2.65 million, an increase of 6 times compared with 2022, and the passenger flow ranks seventh in the country.
In order to ensure the smooth customs clearance of the majority of inbound and outbound passengers, the Hangzhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station has launched a "fingertip service" forecasting system, done a good job of peak diversion in advance, and announced the preparation measures for the port to deal with the peak passenger flow. At present, the Hangzhou Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station has been equipped with police officers specializing in English, Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and other foreign languages at the port to provide passengers with customs clearance guidelines and visa-free policy consultations.
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