摘要：On June 9th, China officially began offering visa-free entry to holders of ordinary passports from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and
On June 9th, China officially began offering visa-free entry to holders of ordinary passports from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. This policy expansion brings the number of countries eligible for China's unilateral visa exemption to 47 and marks full visa-free coverage for all six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Gulf region has now entered a new era of "30-day spontaneous travel" to China.
According to Trip.com Group, a China's online major travel agency, the number of flight searches from GCC countries to China surged by 90% on the first day the policy was announced, with Saudi Arabia topping the list in search volume. In the first quarter of this year, inbound travel bookings to China on the platform more than doubled compared to the same period last year, with Saudi inbound orders soaring by an impressive 235%. Industry insiders noted that the implementation of the visa-free policy is expected to significantly boost demand for business visits and leisure travel from the six GCC countries to China.
Qin Jing, vice president of Trip.com Group, noted that the visa-free policy has cleared the "last kilometer" to seamless travel for people-to-people exchanges. Continued efforts toward visa facilitation not only offer convenience for overseas professionals and businesspeople coming to China but also promote diverse consumption scenarios such as tourism and cultural experiences. Through "zero time difference" in-depth interactions, it helps reshape how people from GCC countries perceive China.
Data from China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism shows that in 2024, 75% of foreign arrivals to China were made under the visa-free scheme. The expansion of this policy is expected to further unlock the potential for two-way trade cooperation and cultural integration. In Guangzhou, for example, the number of international visitors during the May Day holiday rose by 35.2% year-on-year. Since the introduction of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy in June 2024, along with free one-day tours for international transit passengers, travelers from nearly 50 countries have explored the city, demonstrating the strong pull of visa-free policies on inbound tourism.
对海合会四国免签落地，沙特入境游增长235%
6月9日，中国正式对沙特、阿曼、科威特、巴林持普通护照人员试行免签政策，至此，我国单方面免签国家扩至47国，实现对海合会六国免签“全覆盖”，海湾地区迎来“30天说走就走”的中国行时代。
携程数据显示，政策公布首日，海合会国家赴华航班搜索量环比增长90%，沙特游客搜索热度最高。今年一季度，携程平台入境游订单同比翻倍，沙特入境游订单更是同比增长235% 。相关人士指出，免签政策施行后，海合会六国来华商务考察及旅游观光等需求将大幅提升。
携程集团副总裁秦静表示，免签政策打通了人员往来“最后一公里”。签证便利化持续推进，不仅为海外人士来华商务工作提供直接便利，还将带动旅游观光、文化体验等多元消费场景发展，通过“零时差”深度交互，重构海合会六国民众对中国的认知。
文化和旅游部数据显示，2024年通过免签入境中国的外国人占比达75%，此次政策扩容将进一步释放商贸合作与文化融合的双向潜力。以广州为例，今年“五一”假期境外来穗游客同比增长35.2%。自2024年6月落地“240小时过境免签”政策，并推出国际中转旅客免费一日游以来，已接待近50个国家的国际中转旅客游览广州，展现出免签政策对入境游的积极带动作用 。
文｜记者 刘星彤 通讯员 刘嘉鹏
图｜记者 刘畅
翻译｜杨钧雅
英文审校｜肖凯欣
来源：羊城派
