The number of inbound visa-free tourists has increased by 16.3 percent in south China's island province of Hainan since last May, local authorities said Wednesday.
The province offered on May 1, 2018 greater visa-free access for tourists from 59 countries, a substantial jump from the previous 26 countries.
The province has received 381,000 visa-free tourists from those countries, accounting for 80 percent of the total number of inbound tourists.
The visa-free policy has become the top choice for foreign tourists visiting Hainan, the local immigration authority said.
Over 85 percent of the tourists from Russia, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Kazakhstan visited Hainan through the visa-free policy.
Under the new policy, group and individual tourists from countries including Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, can visit Hainan visa-free and stay there for up to 30 days on condition that they book their tour through travel agencies.
Hainan has so far opened 47 direct flights to the countries with visa-free access.
