Mixed outlook for Chinese visa exemption

Beijing's visa exemption for South Korean tourists will take effect on Friday this week, but expectations are mixed about the impact, as it comes after years of waning popularity of China as a travel destination here.

China announced Friday that it would allow passport holders of Korea and eight other countries to enter China without visas for up to 15 days for tourism, business, family visits, and transit purposes. Chinese nationals are still required to apply for a visa to enter Korea.

Local travel agencies say a surge in bookings for China travel immediately. According to Mode Tour, the nation’s No. 2 travel agency, reservations increased 65 percent on Monday and Tuesday alone compared to last week.

"The hassle of obtaining a Chinese visa was a major deterrent for Korean travelers, and now that’s resolved," an official from a major travel agency said on condition of anonymity. "The industry is planning various packages to offer a fresh travel experience in China. For example, with the rising popularity of food-themed programs and increasing interest in Chinese cuisine, there’s a demand for small, focused tours among younger travelers keen to explore China’s local food scene."

The tourism industry expects the new policy to attract more travelers in their 20s to 40s, a demographic that previously showed very limited interest in visiting China. There is also hope for fuller passenger loads on newly established and expanded routes.

Yet, some industry insiders remain cautious about the serious impact of the free-visa policy.

"Traveling solo in mainland China remains challenging due to language barriers in restaurants and shops," an official from a travel platform explained. "There is still a perception among many (in Korea) that China is not an especially travel-friendly destination. Therefore, most travelers would still rely on package tours for China, which already cover reservations and visas, so beyond slight savings on visa fees, this change may have limited impact."

The official added that the policy might attract short-term interest. "It could be quite beneficial for existing business travelers since they can easily travel back and forth without visa obligations."

Airline companies, including the top two Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, are also bracing for a possible surge in Chinese travel.

Korean Air plans to launch its Incheon-Fuzhou route with three weekly flights from Nov. 28, while resuming Busan-Qingdao services on Dec. 1 after nearly four years of hiatus. The flag carrier has also increased flights on its Incheon-Xiamen and Incheon-Wuzhou routes. Asiana Airlines has also expanded its Incheon-Beijing route to 20 weekly flights and its Incheon-Shanghai route to four daily flights starting Nov. 14.

"Flights to China are relatively short, and ticket prices are generally more affordable than to Japan or Southeast Asia, making China an appealing choice for weekend getaways," said an airline industry official. "The airlines industry generally views this as a potential boost for their fourth-quarter earnings."

Korea’s air travel to and from China plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number, however, has seen a steady increase to reach 10.3 million passengers in the January-October period this year, about 80 percent of the pre-pandemic levels. During the same period, Japan, the nation’s top travel destination, has seen 18.32 million passengers, up 17.4 percent from five years ago.