Overseas visitors soon able to stay in Hainan more than 30 days visa-free

China's Ministry of Public Security and the National Immigration Administration announced on Wednesday that the existing visa-free policy for Hainan is to be revised, in a bid to promote the establishment of the island's pilot free trade zone and to boost the local tourism sector.

Individuals and groups from 59 countries including Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States currently covered by a visa-free policy that allows them to stay for up to 30 days will be able to stay for a longer period, and will have more options when it comes to applying to enter the province, whether they are applying as an individual or at the invitation of a local organization in Hainan.

An overseas visitor is being welcomed by local people, at Haikou, Hainan Province on November 6, 2018. [File Photo: IC]

The existing policy, which came into effect on May 1 last year, stipulates that people from the countries eligible to visit the island without a visa should book a tour through a local travel agency in Hainan before arriving.

The list of reasons why overseas visitors can apply for a visa-free stay has also been expanded to include business, visit, relative visit, medical treatment, exhibition, sports, and others.

These moves are aimed to ease visa policy for foreign talents to work and study at Hainan.

As of June 30, there were 447,000 visa-free visits to Hainan since the current policy came into effect, an increase of 18.8 percent over the same period last year. The province’s foreign exchange revenue on international tourism reached 767 million U.S. dollars last year, up 12.7 percent on the previous year.