CHINA declared Australia as a unilaterally visa-free country on Monday, sparking a surge in travel interest between the two nations. Following this news, searches for keywords related to “China” on Australian travel platforms skyrocketed, while simultaneously on Chinese platforms, searches for “Australia” surged as well. According to data from China’s international travel platform Trip.com by Ctrip, just half an hour after China’s announcement of including Australia in its unilateral visa-free list, searches by Australian tourists for keywords related to “China” increased by over 80% compared to the previous day. Similarly, data from China’s travel platform, Qunar, showed a surge of over 40% in flight searches for “Australia” after the announcement. Ctrip’s data revealed that this year, Australia ranked as the fifth-largest source of inbound tourists to China, with a 155% year-on-year increase in inbound tourism orders. The number of flights from Australia to China also saw a growth rate exceeding 220%. Popular destinations in China for Australian tourists include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Xiamen, Nanjing, and Xi’an. With the upcoming summer vacation, the average price of flights from Australia to China has dropped by nearly 30% compared to the same period in 2023. Flight information on major Chinese travel websites indicates a wide coverage of routes between the two countries. Direct flights from Sydney can reach multiple cities in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Xiamen, Tianjin, Jinan, Xi’an, Haikou, Zhengzhou, and Taiyuan. Similarly, from Melbourne, Australia, direct flights are available to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Xiamen, Qingdao, and Haikou; while Shanghai and Guangzhou in China also offer direct flights to Brisbane. Among the popular tourist attractions in Australia for Chinese visitors are the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, and dolphin-watching tours. Data from Tourism Australia indicates that China is one of the most crucial international markets for Australia’s tourism industry. Before the pandemic, China ranked first in terms of the number of inbound tourists and total spending in Australia. Apart from Australia, since 2023, China has unilaterally waived visas for many countries. Last week, New Zealand was newly included in China’s list of unilateral visa-free countries. China has also implemented unilateral visa-free policies for nations like France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, among others, and has reciprocal visa exemptions with countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Georgia. Moreover, on May 15, the Chinese National Immigration Administration announced a comprehensive visa-free policy for foreign tourist groups traveling on cruises entering all coastal ports in China. This initiative underscores China’s commitment to facilitating tourism and promoting international exchanges through simplified visa policies. (SD News) | 