Beijing-airport-transit.jpg (Photo : www.beijing-airport-transportation.com)
Tourism authorities in Beijing are mulling improving terms for transit passengers to attract more overseas visitors.
To invigorate the capital city's struggling inbound tourism, officials are proposing to extend the current 72-hour visa-free entry policy to 96 hours, and allowing all foreign visitors visa-free entry to the city.
Other ideas put to the table include changing the tax system for overseas visitors and offering more direct flights to overseas destinations.
Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development head Song Yu said that the department will apply for a duty-free policy in Beijing and the permission to issue tax refunds to departing tourists.
"We will also promote tourist attractions and the new policies to the overseas market through visa application centers, embassies and tourist offices," Song added.
China's capital city has been offering visa-free entry to visitors from 45 countries and regions since Jan. 2013. Under the policy, they can stay in the city for 72 hours if they have onward tickets and third-country visas.
According to the department, the policy has boosted the city's inbound tourism to over 40,000 as of Dec. 16. Majority of tourists come from Russia and the U.S.
For the service to improve, Gao Lijia, a deputy manager at the airport, said that Beijing needs "more direct flights and more resources to promote the policy overseas."
To date, only 22 destinations have direct flights to the city, informed Gao.
Despite the positive outlook of the proposals, Lyu Ming, an official at the Ministry of Public Security's Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration, expressed concerns regarding monitoring tourists who stay in the city for over 72 hours.
Lyu said that expanding the limit would be "complicated" and the system would become "different."
