2019 Declared China-New Zealand Year of Tourism

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 29th March 2017
2019 China-New Zealand Year of Tourism, new zealand, One Belt One Road, Visa Policy, Year of Tourism

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English announced that 2019 would be the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism during a two-day visit to the country by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Aiming to increase Chinese visitor spending in New Zealand by an additional NZD 1.7 bn. (ca. USD 1.2 bn.) per annum a number of supporting measures […]

South Korea to Launch 5-year Multiple-Entry Visas for High-End Chinese Tourists

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 19th December 2016
jeju, shopping, south korea, visa, Visa Policy

The South Korean government will introduce a new five-year renewable visa for Chinese tourists who buy specialised four-day travel packages worth 3 million won (ca. USD 2,532) or more, allowing holders to return for stays of up to 30 days at their own leisure for the following five years. The visa, known as the hallyu […]

Chinese Tourists to Malaysia Set to Benefit From New Online Platform and Extension of Visa Waiver Scheme

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 8th November 2016
Alibaba, alitrip, malaysia, Visa Policy

Building upon the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Tourism Malaysia and the Alibaba Group in July 2016, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak launched the Alitrip Malaysia Tourism Platform (MTP) in Beijing on November 4, 2016. He was joined at the launch event by a number of high-profile dignitaries, including […]

Jamaica is Well-Positioned to Grow its Chinese Tourist Arrival Numbers

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 27th July 2016
Arrival Numbers, Caribbean, cruise tourism, direct flights, Jamaica, Visa Policy

Similarly to many worldwide destinations, Jamaica is anticipating an increase in Chinese tourist numbers following a successful start to the year which saw a five percent increase in year-on-year arrivals from China between January and April 2016. While the 3,254 Chinese arrivals during this period pale in significance to the combined figure of 773,108 tourists […]

Israel Looks to China to Boost its Tourism Industry

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 18th July 2016
Arrival Numbers, direct flights, FTA, Israel, Visa Policy

Concerned about the effects that political turbulence in recent years have had on its domestic tourism industry, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism’s general marketing budget has increased significantly since 2014, with a generous portion of the funds earmarked for the Chinese outbound tourism market. The funding allocated for marketing within the department has increased sharply […]

Key Gambling Industry Figure Encourages Philippines’ New Government to Relax Visa Regulations for Chinese Nationals

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 21st June 2016
casino, gambling, the Philippines, Visa Policy

Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corp, the company responsible for the operation of the City of Dreams Manila casino complex in Manila, has called upon the Philippines’ new incoming government to ease visa requirements for Chinese nationals in order to boost the country’s tourism sector. The City of Dreams Property President Geoff P. Andres cited regional […]

Russia and China Discuss Further Liberalising Tourist Visa Policy Amidst 63% Year-On-Year Growth In Chinese Arrival Numbers

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 10th June 2016
gambling, group tourism, red tourism, russia, Visa Policy

The head of Russia’s Federal Tourism Agency (Rositurm) has reported that the country has witnessed a 63% year-on-year rise in Chinese tourist arrivals in the first five months of 2016, prompting Beijing and Moscow to discuss the streamlining of tourist visas in order to further boost numbers. This builds upon already-strong figures from 2015, when […]

Chinese Tourist Numbers to Malaysia on the Rise Following the Introduction of E-visa and Visa-Waiver Schemes

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 20th May 2016
china, e-visa, malaysia, tourism, Visa Policy

Following an extended period of decreased arrival numbers in the wake of the disappearance of the MH370 flight in March 2014, [tweetable]Malaysia is once again seeing a strong numbers of Chinese tourists[/tweetable] returning to the country after the introduction of targeted e-visa and visa-waiver programmes on March 1, 2016. The two visa options, the Electronic […]