New visa rules for travel to China
After a new agreement between the Australian and Chinese governments, short trips to China are now visa-free, saving travellers $110.
What’s changing?
Australia joins 13 other countries with visa-free travel arrangements with China, meaning Australians visiting China for 15 days or less no longer need to apply for a visa waiver.
Travel to China
The COVID-19 pandemic caused havoc for international travel, particularly in China. When the rest of the world started to open its borders post-pandemic, China delayed opening for about a year, causing a further hit to the country’s tourism industry. After peaking in 2019, Chinese tourism has been recovering slowly ever since, according to Statista.
Since borders reopened, Australians have shown a preference for destinations such as Japan, Bali, Europe and other South East Asian countries. The political and economic climate between Australia and China has also affected travel between the two countries.
RAA Travel General Manager Gina Norman says the new visa rules should see a lift in bookings.
“Although it’s early days, these changes and improved relations between the two countries should encourage more travel to China,” Gina says.