'If Koreans and Japanese Come'... China Takes Drastic Measures as Tourists Fail to Increase

Visa Exemption for 6 Countries Including Europe and Malaysia
Singapore to Implement Reciprocal Visa-Free Entry Next Year

China is actively working to attract foreign tourists by introducing mutual visa exemptions and reducing visa issuance fees.

The Consular Protection Center of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 8th via its official WeChat account (China's version of KakaoTalk) that visa issuance fees will be reduced by 25% from the 11th of this month until December 31 of next year.

Incheon Airport Departure Hall.

So far, the countries confirmed to benefit from the fee reduction include 12 countries such as South Korea, Thailand, Japan, Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines, but the list is expected to expand. For South Korea, the single-entry visa (regular application) fee has been reduced from 35,000 won to 26,000 won, and the one-year multiple-entry visa (regular application) fee has decreased from 100,000 won to 75,000 won.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing that "Since implementing 'Eulyueul-gwan' (B-level infectious disease normal management) for COVID-19 in January this year, the Chinese government has continuously optimized foreign visa and entry policies to promote exchanges between China and foreign personnel."

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea also conveyed the news of the visa fee reduction, explaining that it is a measure to facilitate convenient personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries. Major foreign media reported, "China has recently taken many measures to increase inbound travel by foreign tourists."

Earlier, starting from the 1st of this month, China began a one-year pilot visa exemption for six countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. It also agreed with Singapore to allow mutual visa-free entry for 30 days, to be implemented from early next year.

China normalized tourist visa issuance in March but has been struggling as the number of foreign tourists has not increased significantly.

According to statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign tourists handled by domestic travel agencies in China in the first half of this year was 477,800. This is only 5.5% of the 8,561,600 visitors during the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.