In the Press Conference held by Information Office of Beijing Municipality on December 5, it is declared that Beijing will carry out 72-hour policy of Transit without visa (TWOV) to foreigners from 45 countries who hold the third country’s visa and airline ticket from January 1, 2013 on. Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration, the city’s public security bureau, Beijing Frontier Inspection Central Station, the Office of Beijing Port, Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal Government etc introduced some information concerning to the policy.

In order to further implement the important instructions of fastening tourism development and fostering tourism industry into strategic pillar industry in our national economy, and to strengthen the step of developing Beijing into a world famous city with Chinese characteristics, Beijing Municipal Government applied to the State Council for adequately extending the TWOV deadline for some foreigners in Beijing port. And it admitted the State Council’s approval on April 28, 2012.

Appropriately extending the prescribed period of TWOV for foreigners can not only promote the inbound tourist consumption directly, push forward the development of tourism industry, fasten the pace of the construction of world city, and show the great power of China, but also can extend the foreign exchanges, deepen the bilateral relations based on good will and friendship with its neighbors and promote the regional and sub-regional cooperation. So far, loose visa policy is a general rule used by many countries and main tourist cities to boost inbound tourism market. And the number of inbound tourists is exactly a key index to judge a city’s international appeal.

The 72-hour TWOV policy will greatly enhance Beijing’s tourism industry and relative business, and lead to the development of transportation, catering, shopping, accommodation, leisure, meeting, exhibition, business and aircraft industry.  It is learned that the 45 countries are as following:

Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherland, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, UAE, Qatar.