China’s hotels told to roll out welcome mats for foreign visitors, regardless of service approvals

Authorities say rooms should be provided for international travellers, even if hotels do not have service credentials
Government notice follows complaints by foreigners claiming they were not allowed hotel check-ins

Tourism

Vanessa Caiin Shanghai

Published: 9:15pm, 28 May 2024

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Hotels in China have been told not to turn away foreign guests by using a lack of government-issued credentials as an excuse, according to a newly issued joint department notice.

The notice, jointly issued by the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Commerce and the National Immigration Administration on Friday, said a lack of “foreign-related credentials” was not a legitimate reason to turn away foreign guests.

The notice was released after an online government bulletin published posts by travellers from Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Pakistan complaining that they had been rejected by hotels in China.

The notice also said the government agencies would exercise “guidance and supervision” for hotels to ensure that they could properly serve foreign visitors.

To accept international travellers, hotels in China previously required certifications that they offered government-approved services.

The requirements are no longer officially in force, but confusion and ambiguity has lingered over the rules, according to media reports.

Government requirements for foreign visitor accommodation have been dropped, but confusion lingers over the rules, according to media reports. Photo: Bloomberg

Some hotels have refused foreign guests over worries about risks from mistakes made in the registration information, Chinese media outlet Jiemian reported.

Beijing has launched a series of initiatives hoping to lure back foreign visitors and reverse an inbound tourism slump to inject life into the slow post-pandemic economic recovery.

Last month, the People’s Bank of China and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism told hotels with ratings of three stars and above that they must accept card payments by foreign banks – another frequent complaint from foreign tourists.

In addition, Beijing also announced early this month that foreign visitors who travel on international cruises can stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa.

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China has already granted 15-day visa-free permissions to visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia for business, tourism, family visits and transit. The country has also extended its visa-free transit policy to as many as 54 countries.

Friday’s statement also noted that online English training would be made available for hotel staff and that the Ministry of Public Security would improve the hotel registration system for foreign guests.

China’s rules require hotels to submit foreign visitor information within 24 hours of check-in. While most hotels in major cities can accept foreign guests, some still only serve domestic tourists and visitors from Hong Kong and Macau.