Guilin offers 72-hour visa-free travel

Popular tourist destination Guilin in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has become the ninth city in the country to allow transit passengers with a passport from 51 designated countries to stay for up to 72 hours without a visa, the local exit-entry division said on Tuesday.

The policy applies to passport holders from selected nations, such as Austria, who have onward air tickets from Guilin airport for a third country within 72 hours and other valid travel documents.

The decision was made after boosting the Guilin tourism industry was deemed a national strategy.

The move is a gesture to simplify exit and entry procedures to expand international tourism market in Guilin, which is among the first batch of tourist cities open to foreigners.