China records big jump in foreign visitors

The number of foreigners visiting China in the first quarter of this year has increased by more than three times year-on-year, the National Immigration Administration said on Thursday at a news conference.

The countries with the highest number of visitors to China include the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well as neighboring countries such as Russia, Vietnam, and Myanmar.

The majority of foreign visitors come to China for tourism, accounting for over 30 percent, followed by purposes including business, visiting relatives and friends, work, and study, a spokesman for the administration said.

The administration introduced a series of immigration and entry-exit measures in the first quarter, continuously optimizing regional visa-free entry.

Five measures to facilitate the entry of foreigners into China have been implemented, and the reasons for visa-free entry to Hainan province have been expanded for people from certain countries, the spokesman said.

It supported the construction of cross-straits integration and development demonstration zones in Fujian province. "Individual tourist endorsements" were issued for eligible population in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, and Qingdao, Shandong province, to visit Hong Kong and Macao.

A total of 6.357 million ordinary passports were issued from January to March, seeing a 24 percent year-on-year increase, according to the administration.

The number of visas and documents issued to foreigners increased by 118.8 percent to 466,000, while the number of foreigners entering China visa-free rose by 266.1 percent to 1.99 million, it added.