BEIJING, Sep 23: Jinan, known as the “city of springs”, has become a magnet for a growing number of international visitors, due to simplified visa procedures, improved tourism services, and its distinctive combination of cultural heritage and natural beauty.
Jinan border inspection station provides multilingual signposts and consultation services to assist foreign tourists with navigation, and a designated area for handling 240-hour visa-free transit applications.
Among the latest international arrivals to Jinan are Jack Torr, a native of Australia, and his wife Sophia Manandhar from Nepal, as part of the Journey to the East, touching down at Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport. They visited Baotu Spring to try tea brewed with the park’s own water, cruised Daming Lake wearing traditional hanfu, and dined at Kuishengju restaurant celebrated for Shandong cuisine.
In recent years, Shandong has been promoting its tourism industry by leveraging diverse tourism types such as sports and leisure, study tours, and health and wellness trips.
A group of elderly tourists from South Korea also landed at Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport on Tuesday afternoon. Their trip to Jinan was made convenient by the visa-free policy implemented for South Korean citizens and the efficient China-South Korea air and sea express lines available.
Additionally, the airport has launched an online advance declaration service in collaboration with airlines. After border inspection staff review and approve tourists’ applications, they can obtain a temporary entry permit on-site upon arrival. This enables staff to efficiently deal with an influx of foreign tourists during peak arrival times.
“I look forward to finding opportunities for Chinese investment,” said Paulo, a Brazilian tourist visiting Jinan for the first time.
With the expansion of countries enjoying China’s unilateral visa-free policy and mutual visa exemption agreements, in addition to the implementation of the 240-hour transit visa-free policy, Jinan has gradually become a popular “check-in” city for foreign tourists entering China.
Currently, the majority of foreign tourists coming to Jinan are from Japan and South Korea, and their main purposes are sightseeing and business tour, according to the local border inspection station. It is expected to attract even more international tourists in the future, further boosting the development of its cross-border tourism industry.
Eligible citizens from 55 countries, including Russia, Brazil, Britain, the United States and Australia, can enter China visa-free within 240 hours when transiting to a third country or region, according to the National Immigration Administration.
British traveler Edward expressed his appreciation for China’s visa-free transit policy. “I would like to visit China again sometime, as it’s very convenient to come here for a short trip without needing to apply for a visa,” he said.
