The China-Vietnam Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall cross-border tourism cooperation zone went into operation on Tuesday.
A colorful launch ceremony featuring traditional performances in the Chinese part of the zone in Chongzuo, a border city in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
As China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone, the Chinese part of the zone spans approximately two square kilometers.
It began trial operations in September last year, receiving over 1,200 cross-border tourist groups and nearly 18,000 visitors.
The Detian-Ban Gioc Waterfall is the biggest cross-border waterfall in Asia. Within the cooperation zone, tourists enjoy facilitated customs clearance services, according to local border inspection authorities in Guangxi.
The official launch of the cross-border tourism cooperation zone is expected to yield valuable insights for the high-level opening up and collaboration between the two countries, said Hu Fan, vice chairman of Guangxi.
China's first cross-border tourism cooperation zone begins operation
China welcomed the first visa-free travelers from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovenia on Tuesday after China extended its visa-free policy to citizens of these nations.
According to information released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, from October 15, 2024 to December 31, 2025, ordinary passport holders from the four countries will not need a visa to enter China for business, tourism, family visit, and transit purposes for up to 15 days.
Prior to these four countries, China had extended the unilateral visa-free policy to travelers holding ordinary passport from 15 other countries, including France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, starting from December, 2023.
"It's my first time. We come here for an exhibition at the National Museum of Beijing. I did before I leave from Greece, yes, one day before I leave. I haven't been to Beijing yet, but from the airport, it's a great impression. It looks big, and all good," said one of the tourists from Greece as he arrived in Beijing.
"Four cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, and Shenyang. First visit in China without a visa. It's fast and good," said a tourist from Portugal.
Ports in Beijing have welcomed 1.76 million in-bound foreign travelers since the beginning of the year, 154 percent more than in the same period last year.
Tuesday also marks the first day of the 136th China Import and Export Fair, popularly known as the Canton Fair, which is China's longest-running, largest and most widely attended international trade event, which is held in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.
The event draws thousands of overseas business representatives, including many travelers from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovenia.
"I'll visit Canton Fair in Guangzhou. It's the first day for Greek citizens. That's why I came today. I feel very comfortable, because it's very easy to travel to China," said a tourist from Greece who entered China in Shenzhen, another of Guangdong's major cities.
As many foreign travelers share their experiences online, "China Travel" has become a buzzword on overseas social media.
And many from those four countries also started to rush in thanks to the expansion of visa-free policy.
"We came for vacation. It was also for 10 days. Now it's (visa-) free. I would like to thank Chinese government for this opportunity," said a tourist from Cyprus.
"I go to Shenzhen, to Guangzhou, to Wuhan. It's very nice. Many of my friends and family from Greece will come to visit. It's amazing news,” said another traveler from Greece.
"We are coming for the World Tour TCR in Zhuzhou. It was really lucky. We made all the visa paperwork, but as soon as it gets to the embassy of China they said ‘no need’, it's (visa-) free because we'll arrive on 15th. It was perfect timing," said a tourist from Portugal.
According to statistics from customs in Shenzhen, since the beginning of October the border inspection station at the West Kowloon Station has handled more than 40,000 in-bound and out-bound foreigners, nearly half of them traveling for business.
Since the beginning of this year, the number of passengers entering and leaving the West Kowloon Station via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway has exceeded 21 million, a year-on-year increase of 42.3 percent, and more than the total number of passengers in the whole of last year.
Due to the expansion of China's visa-free policy and the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy, the number of merchants from Europe, America, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and other countries under the Belt and Road Initiative has increased significantly.
China welcomes first visa-free travelers from four more European countries
