In its publication "Suggestions for driving forward the establishment of Hainan International Tourism Island" issued in December 2009, the Chinese State Council decided to revise the existing visa exemption scheme for tourist groups as an important provincial policy; a policy which up until now has been the most convenient and open example in the whole of China. The island has now received permission to implement a revised policy to attract overseas visitors and gradually increase their numbers with the objective that in around five years time there will be in excess of one million foreign visitors to Hainan per annum.
On the morning of August 16th, the Provincial Government held a news conference to announce the important news that tour groups from 26 countries can now visit Hainan without requiring a visa issued in their home country.
This followed the release by the Public Security Ministry of the document entitled "Agreement for Hainan Province to increase the number of countries from which tour groups are exempt from normal visa requirements" on August 12th,in line with the State Council's suggested policy that in addition to the 21 countries already covered by the group visa exemption scheme, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, Kazakhstan should also be added bringing the total to 26 countries. Furthermore, the minimum qualifying tour group size for visitors from Russia, South Korea and Germany should be reduced to two and the length of time which they may spend on the island increased to 21 days. These suggestions have now been implemented.
From the time of Hainan's establishment as a province in 1988, landing visas for overseas visitors were handled at the entry ports of Haikou and Sanya. On 31st October,2000, the province received permission to offer visa exemption to tour groups of five or more people from 21 countries with a maximum stay of 15 days. This was followed by the State Council's 31st December 2009 suggestion that a revised visa exemption policy be implemented.
According to statistics from the Hainan Immigration Bureau in 2001,there were 12,000 visitors who used the visa exemption scheme. By 2008 this number had surpassed 200,000, a 15-fold increase over 2001 bringing the cumulative number of overseas visitors during this eight years period to 670 thousand, representing 60% of the total 1.1 million visitors to the island with an average annual increase of 40% in their number.
Implementation of a visa exemption policy is an important factor in the drive to establish Hainan International Tourism Island and to turn the island into an international tourism destination. Many global tourism destinations such as Hawaii, Bali and Phuket Island amongst others already offer visa exemption to a number of countries and their citizens.
As aide to Hainan's governor and Provincial Public Security Bureau Chief Jia Dongjun explained, today all levels from provincial down to city and rural governments have set up mechanisms for the management of entry of overseas visitors and these are now considered the norm.
Hainan Provincial Government Spokesman Xu Zhuang said, official approval of the implementation of the new visa exemption policy is an important event in the establishment of Hainan International Tourism Island and marks a major step in a unique immigration policy that increases the island's level of opening up. "We will provide a more convenient and efficient customs service to a multitude of overseas visitors, making it easier for them to come to Hainan for their vacations!"
List of visa-exempt countries: Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Britain, France, Austria, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark , Norway, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.
From: Hainan Daily Newspaper
