(Yicai) Jan. 18 -- Hainan province has received more than 92,000 visa-free international tourists since the National Immigration Administration reinstated the visa-free policy for people from 59 countries to the Chinese island in March last year.

Nearly 20,000 visa-free foreign visitors entered Hainan in December alone, compared with 2,000 last April, as the number of international flights between the Chinese southernmost province and the 59 visa-free countries recovered, according to the local entry and exit bureau.

Hainan first introduced a 15-day visa-free policy for group tourists from 21 countries in 2000. The number of days and countries were later extended to 30 and 59, respectively, from May 2018. The policy was suspended in March 2020 because of Covid-19 and reinstated on March 15 last year. Hainan has received over 870,000 visa-free foreign tourists since 2018, of which nearly 480,000 in 2019 alone.

The 59 countries enjoying visa-free entries to Hainan are 40 European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, 11 Asian countries, such as South Korea, Japan, and Singapore, six American countries, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Editor: Futura Costaglione