Specialist operators welcome introduction of China visa free travel

Specialist operators have welcomed the introduction of visa-free travel to China from tomorrow (Tuesday).

 

Wendy Wu Tours and Transindus expect a boost from the move, confirmed after prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing last month.

 

The relaxation of visa rules for British travellers should enable operators to reach a wider range of potential customers.

 

The UK government announced in January that China plans to relax visa rules for British citizens – ending the visa requirement for travel under 30 days – with the start date for the new policy now confirmed.

 

Wendy Wu Tours founder Wendy Wu told a Travel Weekly webcast that the announcement was a “very historic moment”.

“We want to make it easy for everybody, so more people can travel to China as smooth as can be. That’s our job,” she said.

 

She recalled meeting Chinese ministers and tourism leaders last November on a megafam trip and highlighting to them that visas were her main concern.

 

Clients who have to obtain a visa for China tend to book longer tours than elsewhere, but with visa-free travel, holidaymakers may opt for shorter trips as it will be easier to visit, she added.

 

“Behind the scenes we also have many new tours,” she said.

 

More: China specialists expect visa relaxation to ‘unlock pent-up demand’

 

Recent new tours to the country feature the highlights, such as the Great Wall and Shanghai, but also lesser-known attractions such as Zhangjiajie, said to be the inspiration for the film Avatar, and the futuristic cyber city of Chongqing.

 

She noted that Chongqing was on the itinerary for last year’s megafam trip and is now featured on several new tours.

 

Gary King, head of trade sales, said Wu had heard that Chongqing was the most searched-for online domestic tourism destination in the post-Covid period.

 

“Wendy spoke about ‘we have to be the first mover’ into Chongqing,” he said.

 

Chongqing is also featured on the new China Wellness & Wisdom Retreat itinerary, as it offers the chance to learn about traditional forms of qigong therapeutic exercise and bathe in mineral-rich hot springs.

 

King expects such tours to appeal both to first-time and returning visitors.

 

“It gives us a slightly further reach. [It could be for] somebody coming into one of the travel agents or making an inquiry to say, ‘I want to escape. I want to go somewhere that’s going to make me feel better’,” he explained.

 

“We hear about people wanting to meditate or to do something very spiritual. This has given us some further reach.”

 

Another new tour, Chongqing: China’s City of Tomorrow, features Chinese medicine but also provides behind-the-scenes access to a car factory with production lines largely operated by robots and OPPO, the world’s fifth-largest smartphone manufacturer.

 

King confirmed discussions have begun for this year’s “amazing” megafam to China but the destination is currently under wraps.

 

Transindus managing director Amrit Singh said: “This is fantastic news as British travellers can now take full advantage of our brand-new collection of small, escorted China group tours at some of the UK’s keenest prices, without the hassle or cost of applying for a visa.”

 

The operator has also published a new tailormade brochure for those looking to travel independently.