Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China has stated that the Brunei Government has plans to introduce visa on arrival facility for Chinese tourists. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF PELITA BRUNEI (Hernie Suliana Haji Othman)
The Brunei Government has plans to introduce visa on arrival facility for Chinese tourists, Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, said yesterday, brudirect.com reported.
The Sultanate’s move is “a piece of good news” in terms of the Brunei-China relationship and particularly for the mainland Chinese population, the minister who arrived in the country for a two-day visit, said.
During a press conference following his meetings in the Sultanate, Wang Yi said that the initiative will further facilitate people-to-people exchanges.
Expressing admiration for Brunei, which he described as a “beautiful country rich in natural resources and natural heritage”, Wang Yi pointed that the Sultanate’s endowments carry potential in attracting Chinese people not just for enjoying the scenery, “but to also nurture friendships with the Bruneian people to support and enhance the bilateral relationship”.
At present, Chinese travellers into the country are provided with a 14-day stay visa upon arrival but only if the” journey is arranged through a travel agency while those entering the country for business purposes require sponsors or “counterparts” in Brunei.
Citizens of Brunei with ordinary passports, meanwhile, may enter China without a visa through the ports of entry open to foreigners provided that their intentions are for tourism, family visits, business or transit and stay in China for no more than 15 days.
Over the past years, tourist arrivals from China has seen a growth with year 2015 recording over three per cent rise compared to the previous year’s 16.9 per cent, making the number of Chinese travellers only second to those from Malaysia.
Of the total Chinese travellers, 36 per cent were in the country for leisure and holiday while Malaysian arrivals for the same purpose was lower at 19.3 per cent, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) earlier this year.
With Brunei looking to broaden its means for national income away from oil and gas, several strategic initiatives are currently taking shape and tourism is one of the crucial sectors the government is looking to enhance as evidenced by the formation of MPRT that has pushed tourism into the forefront of the economic diversification drive.
Last month during the Legislative Council Meeting, the recently appointed Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism explained that the ministry will be exploring ways to fund its initiatives in increasing production in several industries including tourism, stating that the ministry has set its sights on encouraging private companies, government-linked companies and foreign investors to invest in these industries.
National carrier Royal Brunei offers direct flights to Shanghai and has also employed several marketing strategies to attract the Chinese market among them include leveraging on the celebrity status of local entrepreneur and celebrity Wu Chun who has developed a significant fan base in China.