China Eases Hotel Restrictions to Attract Foreign Tourists

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Foreign tourists at the Forbidden City in Beijing on July 9, 2024.

Seven Chinese government departments issued a joint notice Thursday requiring hotels to enhance convenience for foreign guests, including adding foreign currency exchange facilities.

China has been trying to attract tourists following the Covid pandemic and has issued a series of favoring policies this year, but challenges remained in payment, accommodation and sightseeing site reservations. Many hotels have long been forbidden to host foreign guests due to lack of qualifications.

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China issued a notice to hotels to enhance convenience for foreign guests, including currency exchange and simplified registration procedures.
The notice eliminates qualification-based restrictions on hotels hosting foreign guests and calls for improved payment systems.
Hotels are encouraged to provide multilingual information and staff, and online platforms must improve the user experience for foreign visitors.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2023：: China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreign nationals, according to the National Immigration Administration.

April 2024：: Hotels in first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai scrapped the mandatory facial recognition practice for registering foreign guests.

Thursday, July 25, 2024：: Seven Chinese government departments issued a joint notice requiring hotels to enhance convenience for foreign guests, including adding foreign currency exchange facilities.

AI generated, for reference only