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Do China want tourists???

Well what a few days its been for many of our and other tour operators passengers looking forward to a trip of a lifetime in China.  Last week inexplicably China authorities started refusing UK citizens entry into China at Beijing airport.

Many passengers arrived into Beijing wishing to purchase a 144 hour visa is advertised on the Chinese Embassy.  This is to be done at the airport but for some reason rules must have changed and many were refused entry.  As you can imagine this caused huge stress as some flew back to the UK or some of our customers had to purchase a flight to Japan and join the Quantum of the Seas a few days later.  All this at their own expense!

Reports are that the issue was if your passport had a Turkish or UAE stamp in it but thats not been confirmed.  As it is one of customers got through, and she confirmed that she had both a Turkish and UAE stamp in her passport!!!   So nobody really knows……maybe she was just lucky.   Queues at the airport were taking up to 5 hours which is ridiculous!

Customers who had purchased a full visa seem to have been fine so I suppose the best and only advice I can give you is to get a full visa.  Yes it will cost you more but i’m sure you will agree its worth it.

ABTA tried to get involved and seek information but that info wasn’t forthcoming and they issued the following stateroom :
Good Evening

The ABTA Destinations team are aware that some travellers have experienced difficulties entering China under the visa waiver on arrival scheme.

We have highlighted this matter to the FCO who have updated the travel advice as a result. Please see below:

FCO Travel Advice Update – China

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated the travel advice for China with an update to the Entry requirements section (Visas) – updated information and advice about visa waivers on arrival. The relevant extract of the advice is below for your reference:

Visas

The British Embassy in Beijing has received reports of a recent increase in cases where entry to China under the visa waiver on arrival scheme has been refused, which may be linked to previous travel history. You should note that entry to China under a visa waiver is not guaranteed – Chinese border officials have the right to refuse entry without warning or explanation. You should contact the Chinese Embassy or the China Visa Application Service Centre before your proposed trip for further information. If you’re unsure about your eligibility for a visa waiver, you’re advised to apply for a visa before travelling.

The overall level of the advice has not changed, there are no restrictions within the advice.

View the travel advice in full here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china

Advice for Members

Members with customers due to travel to China should advise customers to contact the Chinese Embassy or the China Visa Application Service Centre before travel for further information, and if unsure about eligibility for a visa waiver, advise customers to apply for a visa before travelling.

Advice for Customers

Customers due to travel to China should contact the Chinese Embassy or the China Visa Application Service Centre before the proposed trip for further information, and if unsure about eligibility for a visa waiver, advised to apply for a visa before travelling.

If Members require the assistance of ABTA please email [email protected]

We will continue to monitor and provide updates as appropriate.

So ABTA are just giving the same advice, get a FULL VISA!!

We’ve helped as many of our customers as we can getting them to Japan so their holiday isn’t completely ruined, but all are all are a little out of pocket having to pay for flights and hotels.

Hopefully the Chinese Embassy will confirm soon what the issue is with the 144 hour on arrival visa or remove it completely so customers know where they stand.  Otherwise tourism will suffer in the end.

Any questions please contact me.

Take Care,  Haydn.

 

 

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About Me

Hello everyone, My name is Haydn , I live in Caerphilly South Wales with my wife and 2 young sons. I have been in the Travel Industry for just over 23 years now, specializing in cruising for the last 13 years. I have been on a variety of Cruise ships,…

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