How easily can foreigners travel to China and spend money?

Posted by Admin August 3, 2024 Travel

Chinese mobile payment platforms, dominated by domestic firms, cater to locals and restrict use by foreigners due to financial and data-control laws.

But in late July, the People’s Bank of China vowed to make it more convenient for visitors to make payments in China amid a wider effort to lure back overseas tourists and foreign investment.

Yan Fang, head of the PBOC’s Payment and Settlement Department, said foreign visitors could flexibly choose among various payment methods, including bank cards, cash and mobile payments, according to state media.

In June, 1.61 million transactions were made via overseas bank cards in China, with the transaction volume amounting to 2.9 billion yuan (US$400 million) – both approximately doubling the levels seen in February, according to Yan.

In the first half of the year, more than 5 million inbound visitors used mobile payments, representing a fourfold year-on-year increase, Yan added.

In early March, the central bank eased limits on mobile payments for foreigners, with the single transaction limit raised from US$1,000 to US$5,000. And the annual mobile payment ceiling for foreigners who register their ID was also raised from US$10,000 to US$50,000, on par with the limit for Chinese nationals.

Also in March, the State Council vowed to offer greater acceptance of cash and overseas bank cards, promising to improve policy support to optimise payment methods.

Have China’s new visa-free policies affected tourism?

Since late last year, China has relaxed a wide range of policies, including visa-free entries, to boost its tourism sector that was ravaged for three years under leadership’s zero-Covid policy.

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China expands visa-free travel to 6 new countries

The association said 8.54 million visitors took advantage of visa-free entries, representing a 190 per cent surge, with the official Xinhua saying the increase was partly due to China’s 144-hour visa-free transit policy.

Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the United States and countries throughout Europe, can reach much of mainland China via its international airports, which can process visa-free arrivals for transit passengers for 72 to 144 hours.

A further 23 countries have mutual visa exemptions, including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

What other policies have eased to attract foreign tourists?

At the start of August, the southernmost tropical destination of Hainan was added to the list of regions embracing the 144-hour visa-free policy for foreign tour groups.

Foreigners holding a standard passport from any nation with diplomatic ties to China can visit the island province by joining a tour group – of at least two people – organised by a registered travel agency in Hong Kong or Macau.

And since May, foreigners arriving on international cruises at all of China’s 13 cruise ports have been able to remain in the country for 15 days without a visa.