Starting Nov 8, China expanded its visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from nine countries, including South Korea, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.

Passport holders from these nine countries are exempt from visas to enter China and can stay for up to 15 days for business, tourism, family visits, and transit purposes.

Xi'an has emerged as one of the most popular cities for international friends.

Two international visitors stroll around Xi'an. [Photo/Xi'an Daily]

On Nov 9, KE811, a flight from Seoul, South Korea, landed at Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, welcoming the first batch of South Korean visa-free entry passengers. A visitor from South Korea completed all clearance procedures in less than three minutes and praised the new visa-free policy.

Phrases like "144-hour visa-free tour" and "China travel" have recently dominated top search lists on major domestic and international online media platforms, all thanks to the expansion of visa-free policies.

International visitors queue to enter the Xi'an City Wall scenic area. [Photo/Xi'an Daily]

With the opening of various international routes from Xi'an this year, including flights to Samarkand, Budapest, Ho Chi Minh City, and Milan, the international air routes at Xi'an port have seen rapid growth, attracting Chinese and foreign tourists to experience Chinese culture.

This year, the number of foreign arrivals at Xi'an port has exceeded 100,000, a 2.4-fold increase compared to the previous year. Over 40,000 international friends have entered using the visa-free policy, marking a 12-fold increase, while the number of visitors using the 144-hour visa-free transit has tripled.