China is to extend visa-free travel to citizens of five European countries and Malaysia from December, but the UK isn’t on the list.
It will offer arrivals from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain entry without a visa for stays of up to 15 days.
This is for a trial period from Friday, 1 December, till 30 November 2024.
It is part of China’s attempts to ramp up tourists following its long COVID lockdown.
Even though the UK hasn’t been included in the trial, operators say they’re hopeful visa-free travel will be extended to Brits in the future.
A spokesperson for Wendy Wu Tours said: “The exemption is part of China’s efforts to ramp up its inbound international tourism and is a phased approach which will see more countries added to the list in due course.”
They said the visa service Wendy Wu offers customers is ‘easy and hassle free’.
Neil Sealy, UK & Ireland MD of Exoticca, which recently started selling through the UK trade, said: “China has been a very popular destination this year and our clients have been able to obtain visas without any problems.
“Having said that, I have no doubt that the destination would be even more popular with travellers from the UK if a visa wasn’t required, as this presents one less hurdle when planning their holiday.”
Visas cost from £151 for UK passport holders.