China’s relaxed entry rules bring more travel, but would-be tourists wary of remaining barriers
- China’s policies to relax visa requirements or allow visa-free entry have increased the number of overseas visitors
- But difficulties with mobile payments, internet limitations and remaining visa rules have deterred some from travel – or made things harder after arrival
When John Chetwynd, a 28-year-old graduate of the University of San Francisco, visited China in July, his US-based bank became “concerned” about transactions made on the Alipay mobile payments platform. The bank had flagged a double charge and “international fees”, he said.
Eventually, the service stopped working entirely. So, for the remainder of the 10-day excursion, Chetwynd asked other people to use their phones for his purchases and reimbursed them in cash – a thorn in an otherwise eye-opening trip.
Chetwynd’s case is not unusual. Relaxations of visa and e-payment rules are stimulating foreign tourism to China this year – a welcome trend for the country, which sees travel as a source of much-needed economic stimulus – but lingering immigration hurdles, payment difficulties and internet restrictions are viewed as deterring many potential visits.
Foreign arrivals this year have a “hope” of returning to half their level in 2019 before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the China Tourism Academy said via state media outlets last week.