Many European countries have relaxed visas to China. A new wave of tourism has arrived

With their bulging pockets and constantly updated sightseeing knowledge, China tourists are enthusiastic about outbound travel and the market is booming. However, China's "gold masters" with a large number of people and strong purchasing power have become a tool for many European countries to compete for them. Amid the wave after wave of relaxation of visas to China by other European countries, Britain, Germany and other countries finally couldn't help but launch new policies to relax visa restrictions to win more China tourists.

The UK can apply for both UK and Schengen visas

The British Home Office announced on the 19th that it will further simplify visa applications for China citizens, allowing China citizens to apply for visas for UK and European Schengen countries at the same visa center.

Under a partnership agreement between the UK and Belgium, China tourists and business people only need to go to three joint visa centers in Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai once to apply for both UK and Schengen visas without having to travel multiple times.

The new visa process will start on July 1. China citizens can use the same set of application documents to apply for UK and Belgian visas online and pay, and then make an appointment for a visa time to complete the entire process. In order to shorten the application time, the UK and Belgium plan to accept two visa applications and make decisions within 10 working days.

British Home Secretary Theresa May said the new plan would create a "one-stop service" for China citizens traveling to the UK and Europe, whether they are for official business or leisure.

At the end of October last year, the UK launched the UK-Ireland visa system, allowing some China citizens holding Irish short-term visit visas to enter the UK, and China citizens holding some British visit visas to enter Ireland.

The British "Financial Times" reported that in the year to March this year, the number of visas issued by the UK to China tourists and business people increased by 10% year-on-year. However, compared with popular travel destinations for China tourists such as France and Italy, the gap between the UK is still quite large.

Some British business lobby groups have previously complained that the UK and Schengen visa systems are separate, forcing China tourists to shuttle between two very different systems, and some people have to choose between continental Europe and the UK. As a result, big-spending China tourists missed London, but went shopping in Paris and Milan.

Tourism UK clearly sees the significance of China tourists in boosting the British economy. Statistics show that for every 22 additional China tourists, one job will be added to the British tourism industry.

Germany simplifies visa measures and shortens visa timings

Like the UK, Germany's relatively great visa application measures once kept many China tourists out of the country. Now, seeing neighboring countries open their doors to welcome visitors and enjoy tourism profits, Germany has decided to simplify measures and shrink visa governance moments.

The German Embassy in China announced on the 17th that the processing time for visa applications for China nationals has been shortened from the original 5 days to 3 days. According to the previous research achievements of the Chinese and German authorities, by the end of this year, ordinary tourists are expected to get visas to Germany within two days, and the raw materials for application will also be depleted.

In a news release on the website, the German Embassy in China said the simplified visa measures agreed by Germany and China nine months ago had "clear results." In May 2015, the German Embassy in China issued 15,000 more visas, an increase of 31.13% compared with last May.

The German Embassy in China said that the simplified methods that have been tested include: starting from May 1 this year, visas will be issued to business people within 48 hours without urgent fees; compared with the previous year, there is a significant improvement of one year/multi-year The proportion of multi-round trip visas issued; business people who frequently visit can obtain Schengen visas with a useful period of up to 5 years.

The German Embassy in China has also expanded the Beijing Visa Office to better handle applicants.

Italy can use the "green channel" with Expo tickets

Italy has always been one of the traditional European tourist destinations that China tourists love. The Milan Expo, which started in May this year, has become another selling point for Italy to attract China tourists. Italy estimates that 1 million more people will travel to the World Expo than China tourists. In order to facilitate China tourists, the Italian Embassy and Consulate in China will issue personal travel and business visas within 36 hours under all circumstances of visa materials. At the same time, Italian embassies and consulates and several tourism agencies helped by giving the green light to applicants holding Expo tickets. As long as the air tickets, hotels, and visas are handed over to the assistance tourism agency at the same time, you can go through the "green channel".

In order to facilitate China applicants, many European countries have put a lot of thought into it. In addition to shrinking visa governance moments, France, Finland and other countries have also introduced confidences in visa delivery services to protect applicants from being busy.

In order to facilitate China applicants, many European countries have put a lot of thought into it. In addition to shortening visa processing time, France, Finland and other countries have also introduced considerate services for visa delivery home to save applicants from the pain of running around. In the final analysis, whether it is two-in-one, two-day pick up, watching the Expo or sending home, the various European visa relaxation policies have one purpose: to attract China tourists and stimulate economic growth.