China’s visa waiver policy, effective from November 30, 2023, has led to a surge in tourists from Japan and South Korea, with Shanghai as a top destination.
China is trialing a visa waiver policy for ordinary passport holders from nine countries, including Japan, from November 30 to December 31, 2025. When China announced this measure on the 22nd of last month, it attracted the attention of Japanese public opinion, and the simplification of procedures for travel to China caught the interest of many Japanese citizens and trade officials. According to statistics from the National Immigration Administration, the number of foreign entrants in the third quarter of this year totaled 8.186 million, up 48.8% from the same period last year. Of these, the number of people entering the country on visa exemptions totaled 4,885,000, an increase of 78.6% from the same period last year. While elderly Japanese people are likely to make up the majority of travelers to China, experts said there is no need to worry about whether they will be able to adapt to smartphones and online payments. China has already opened up the mobile payment services WeChat Pay and Alipay to short-term users in Japan, and the People’s Bank of China has also established regulations on this, ensuring that cash transactions can also be made, providing convenience for tourists with different payment methods. In addition, since the trial of a visa-free policy for ordinary South Korean passport holders began on November 8, bookings for trips to China from South Korea have surged. Many young Koreans travel to China after finishing work on Friday and taking advantage of their weekend off. The shortest flight time from Korea to China is just over an hour, and visa procedures and fees are now waived, making China an even more attractive tourist destination for Korean people. According to a South Korean travel agency, the number of applications for trips to China it received between November 1 and 21 increased by 75% compared to the previous three weeks, with applications for trips to Shanghai in particular increasing sharply by 178%. (Provided by/cri) *Related thread [International] Reservation rates for trips to China in Korea surge by 75% = Korean netizens “Shocking after visiting Shanghai” “Definitely a Japan fan” [Zooφ★].
They’re targeting old people in Japan lol Maybe they should bring Ogata Daisaku on TV and have him sing Wuxi Tabijyo? Stupid old people will get fooled And then you can kill those old people if you want It’s fine to run them over or stab them.
“Surge in tourists from Japan and Korea” There are no figures just for Japanese people, right? There hasn’t been a noticeable increase so you can’t give numbers, right? They’re just making the usual Korean stuff up and inflating the numbers.
It’s a Korean news story, but I guess they want to push Japan into the mix and push it in the media. “From the 8th of last month, when visa-free entry began, to the 2nd of this month, the number of Chinese tourist reservations originating from Korea increased by 150% compared to the same period last year. “
Japan can no longer make money except through tourism, so they need a lot of wealthy Chinese people to come to Japan. Let’s sell them 3,000 yen ramen and 20,000 yen seafood bowls.
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