(Yicai) Dec. 11 -- Singapore has become the ninth country of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to take steps to ease entry for Chinese passport holders, giving a welcome boost to tourism.

Singapore relaxed its visa policy for Chinese citizens on Dec. 7. The other eight ASEAN members to have done so recently are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The Philippines is now the only exemption.

With the number of flights between Singapore and China increasing, the two countries will facilitate travel via a 30-day mutual visa exemption policy, news outlet Huanqiu reported, citing Lawrence Wong, Singapore's deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Singapore is a popular destination for Chinese tourists and a key source of inbound visitors for China. One million Chinese headed to Singapore in the first nine months of the year, 35 percent of the level of 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic, with China ranking as its second-biggest source of visitors, according to official figures. 

The Thai government plans to extend the visa-free entry period for Chinese tourists, and it is considering prolonging it to 90 days from 30 days, Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said on Dec. 6. The country previously increased the maximum visa-free stay period for Russian citizens in the same way.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand had expected about 4 million Chinese tourists to visit the country this year, but it will likely be between 3.4 million and 3.5 million, Kiatphaiboon noted. Some 110 million traveled there in 2019.

Malaysia also introduced new visa policies on Dec. 1, allowing Chinese to stay in the country for up to 30 days without a visa. The move aims to celebrate next year's 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said late last month.

Indonesia plans visa-free entry policies for citizens from 20 countries, including China, the United States, Australia, and India, Sandiaga Uno, its minister of tourism, said on Dec. 7.

Indonesia allows Chinese citizens to obtain visas on arrival at designated airports and seaports or through the website of the Indonesia Directorate General of Immigration. Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, and Timor-Leste also allow Chinese tourists to apply for visas on arrival. 

Editors: Shi Yi, Martin Kadiev