Some of China’s leading thinkers on tourism and trade have called for China to update and simplify its visitor visa process, saying that present cumbersome rules are discouraging potential visitors.
As Chinese travel to the rest of the world has ramped up sharply for several years, inbound travel, while growing, has not gone at the same rate, leaving China with a sort of ‘tourism deficit,’ with 20 million more Chinese traveling abroad than others visiting China, and the gap grew by over 27% last year.
A new report from Ctrip, the huge Chinese travel service provider and the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing think tank issued the report. The report pointed out that most of the world’s countries have opted either for visa-free arrangements with other countries, or have set up visa-on-arrival systems, and others have provided simplified on-line procedures.
A survey by CCG and Ctrip indicated that more than half of those surveyed reported that visa application issues had a significant impact on their choice of destinations.
Photo: JLessuck in Beijing off the Tourist Track (TravelGumbo, 1/20/2019)
