Soon ill be entering on a Visa Free Programme for the first time. It'll be unusual not having to apply for the TWOV (I always have a small stack if TWOV forms in my carry on to save time on landing).

What is the process now? Do I fill out a standard arrivals card and proceed to standard Foreign Passport line?

Yep, and the fingerprint machine in advance if you like (can also be done at the counter). Took me less than 10 minutes to clear immigration and customs and I was out (that was early morning, might take longer at other times).

Some checkpoints do biometric scans at kiosks OR counters, but not both. This stuff is usually clearly signposted IME though.

As I've entered a number of times under TWOV i assume the biometrics will roll over? But yes, first time I China (Shanghai) the machines were before the immigration section (although I think they were still checked at the desk) and each other airport (5 of) they have just been taken on entry.

The visa-free programme appears to be yielding some good results : In the first semester of 2024, the mainland recorded a whopping 14,6 mil inbound trips by foreigners :). Guess it's the tourist hot spot in Asia.

The downside is, probably longer queues in the future for attractions and restaurants for those of us who already go there. :(

There were close to 100 million visitors in 2019.

Well, yeah. That was when the world economy wasn't in such bad shape.....

Sure, but other countries in the region have MORE tourists now than they did in 2019. Here's Japan, for example:

https://statistics.jnto.go.jp/en/graph/

We discussed before, mainland was the last major country in Asia to open up. By then, most people had already done their résas and committed to other destinations. Plus, with the Yen at historic lows against major currencies, it's not surprising whereas I believe the central bank of mainland China deliberately keeps the RMB at a stable float against other currencies (I think it's been 1 EUR = 7,8 RMB for months and months now).

This debate is kind of silly IMO. While adding a handful of countries to the visa waiver scheme has presumably helped tourism recover somewhat faster than it otherwise would have, the bottom line numbers remain abysmal. And, just here on ft, it's obvious that general interest in China just isn't that great compared to pretty much everywhere else in Asia.

Fully agree. There is very little good will toward / interest in China (besides people who have family or close friends in China I suppose). Not just compared to the rest of Asia, but the rest of the world.

China could have done this before the pandemic, and the effect would have been better. Now it's too little, too late. 杯水車薪.

At least here in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, I have noticed very few obvious folks of non-East Asian descent. General attitudes in those in my social circle back home remain close to “why would you go to China?” With anti-Chinese rhetoric online and in the media paired with a lack of critical thinking and waiting to make your own judgments after actually experiencing something, I’m not surprised that China isn’t seeing comparable results compared to surrounding destinations. I, for one, have found it to be a very interesting destination.

Totally agree, Every week I have people asking me if it is safe to go to China for business and if China has started searching electronic devices when entering the country. Some companies are paranoid about security, they are not allowing company devices to be carried into the country. You have to take a temporary phone and clean loaner laptop. It sounds ridiculous, but their view is the risk of losing millions of dollars of research is not worth it.

Given the pain factor of traveling with under these kinds of corporate policies, people just avoid it. Think about it, how would you do a trip to Singapore, China and Japan if your company has such a policy? (@moondog I know you understand these issues, I am just putting it out there for anyone reading this.:))

China has been pushing the 72-144 hour transit schemes. I have not read anywhere about the quality of international arrivals but I would suspect the spending is down even more than the number of arrivals. The fact that this information has not been released is an indication it is not good. And the fact that China has seen the need to increase the number of countries with visa-free entry is also an indication things are not going as well as planned.

As for FX rates, China is not expensive. Domestic airfares and hotels are a bargain compared to most places so I don't see this as a factor. We are paying USD 108 for flights on major Chinese airlines between PVG and TPE, that's crazy cheap. As for tourism, China has tarnished its reputation as a place people would like to go to and learn more about, that's all there is to it. For those with business connections or family and long term friends, travel with continue. Albeit at a somewhat lower level.

My personal view is China re-engaging with the world is a very positive step. But there is a long road ahead. I am hopeful for the long term.

This conversation got me thinking about some of the more engaging threads we've had here since 2020 (most recent first simply because that's the order in which I grabbed them):
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...-shanghai.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...n-tourism.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...g-2022-q2.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...tine-tips.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...ave-china.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...uarantine.html

Some observations:

• Thread participants are pretty much the same throughout (perhaps part of this is to due to the fact that we aren't the most inviting group on FT, but I'm pretty sure lack of interest is the main reason).
• Even those us that generally defend China acknowledged that things weren't so great...when things weren't so great. Outside of FT, we also got used to fielding calls from friends/family outside of China who were generally amazed why we chose to stick it out.
• Each of us seems to know at least 5 Chinese nationals and 5 expats who threw in the towel (a little surprising in some cases because we're talking strong ties and advanced careers).
• When they left, they certainly weren't inclined to evangelize in the manner that was common during the 2000s and early 2010s (this is an understatement, of course; I'm trying to be gentle).
• Things have gotten A LOT better since early 2023.
• The thing is, they can't really erase the past, and new evangelists who hail from other countries don't really exist (this is partly a result of the self-sufficiency initiatives that have been remarkably effective).

All that having been said, China is still kind of cool, and I fully expect to see more initiatives aimed at reigniting inbound tourism...the people who pushed for the visa waiver pilots will call them a success and ask for additional runway (this is just my prediction).

ETA: I wanted explicitly agree with you on this point because I think it warrants special attention.
It's sort of common knowledge that rents, including hotel rates, in China are cheap relative to real estate "value", but less obvious is that China is an extremely affordable place in general. I've noticed this contrast because I've been spending a lot of time in (an inexpensive part of) the US this year; the difference is staggering.

I don't think anyone is expecting a full rebound of foreign tourists back to mid 2010s-levels in any foreseeable future -- but I think it's fair to wait until the conclusion of, say, 2025 until we judge the success or failure China's re-engagement campaign after the 'lost years'.