DidaTravel has revealed data that reflects a positive impact for inbound travel to China following the recent visa exemption announcement.
China recently announced a new visa-free policy for passports holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. This policy took effect on December 1 and will last for one year.
Based on DidaTravel’s booking data, since the implementation of the recent visa-free policy, hotel bookings from the six countries named have grown by over 50 per cent from December 1 to 7 in comparison to the previous week.
Hotel bookings for travellers from Spain to China have jumped by more than 100 per cent compared to the same period last week. Bookings from Italy and Malaysia to China saw an increase of 50 per cent and 67 per cent week on week, respectively.
Meanwhile, although the wider Chinese inbound market has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels due in part to the fact that China’s borders only fully opened in early 2023, DidaTravel’s year-to-date inbound hotel sales to China have seen a 151 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2019.
According to DidaTravel’s year-to-date total transaction value, Spain, Malaysia, and Italy have been among the top 20 source markets for inbound China travel in 2023. The most booked destinations in China are Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Suzhou, Langfang, Dongguan, and Wuhan.
Rikin Wu, founder and CEO of DidaTravel, remarked: “Thanks to proactive policies like this, that create a strong business environment for tourism, we are able to unlock the full potential of the demand that exists to experience China. We look forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world and exploring new opportunities for collaboration within the country’s ever-evolving tourism industry.”
