China is Now a Visa-Free Country for Filipinos

China has just announced that starting the month of May, the Philippines, along with other countries, will be able to visit the southern island of Hainan without the need of a visa. Although the visa-free policy is not open in every part of China, this is still good news for Filipinos who wish to experience the culture and the beauty of the region.

According to Inquirer.net, the announcement was made last Wednesday which will allow a total of 59 new countries to visit Hainan without any visa. The visa-free policy gives visitors 30 days to explore a specific area in China. Other countries that were given visa-free entry includes United States, Russia, Britain, France, and Germany. Unfortunately, other ASEAN members such as Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and African countries were not included in the list.

It is China's aim to open Hainan as a "center of international tourism consumption" which will allow the development of lotteries that are connected to different sports and competition including horse racing. They want to open the country to the outside world so they will make it a free trade zone.

There are no announcements yet if there is any procedure a Filipino must undergo to use the visa-free policy of China starting May. However, t is expected that more details will be announced soon. There is no news either whether the visa-free policy will be permanently implemented or temporary like Taiwan and Korea.

In 2016, Hainan province only attracted less than a million tourist visitors but that should change after China's announcement last Wednesday. As of today, Filipinos can enter over 60 countries without a visa not including China.