VZCZCXRO7213
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #2090 3060925
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020925Z NOV 06
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5259
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 032090 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CA/VO, EB, AND EAP/CM 
USDOC FOR 4410/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN 
USPACOM FOR FPA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS ECON CH
SUBJECT: FREE TRAVEL TO HAINAN - ALMOST 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: According to officials from the Sanya Foreign 
Affairs Office and Tourism Bureau, Hainan's landing visa and visa 
waiver programs are intended to increase tourism to Hainan, 
particularly from East Asia.  Americans are permitted to travel to 
Hainan without a visa if they are part of a group, but may not do so 
individually.  This restriction was instituted in response to the 
U.S. visa fingerprinting requirement.  END SUMMARY. 
 
  LANDING VISA AND VISA WAIVER POLICIES IN HAINAN 
 
¶2.  (U) Hainan's landing visa program is unique to Hainan and 
applies only there.  According to official policy, travelers from 
countries and regions with diplomatic or official trade relations 
with China may visit Hainan for up to 15 days for business or 
pleasure simply by obtaining a landing visa upon arrival in Haikou 
or Sanya.  Travelers wishing to visit other parts of China or extend 
their stay must apply with local authorities to change their status. 
Countries that are not eligible for the landing visa include the 
United States, United Kingdom, Iran, Iraq, Sri Lankan, Turkey, 
Pakistan, Nigerian, and Afghanistan. 
 
¶3. (U) There is also a visa waiver program in Hainan.  Groups of 5 
or more are allowed to stay in Hainan for up to 15 days without 
obtaining a Chinese visa provided they meet two criteria.  First, 
each group must book through a certified travel agency, which is 
required to pass a name list and travel schedule to local customs 
officials prior to the group's arrival.  Second, participants must 
be nationals from one of the following 21 countries: United States, 
Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, 
Germany, England, France, Australia, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, 
Sweden, Spain, Holland, Canada, Austria, and New Zealand. 
 
 VISA POLICY TARGETS RUSSIAN, KOREAN, AND JAPANESE TOURISTS 
 
¶4. (U) Pei Ke Shan, Vice Director of the Sanya Foreign Affairs 
Office, made clear that the targets of the landing visa and 
visa-free policies are high net worth tourists from Russia, Japan, 
and Korea.  Officials are measuring success it terms of increasing 
tourism from these countries.  Mr. Pei offered the following 
statistics.  From January to August, 2006, 46,000 Russian tourists 
and business travelers visited the island, up 190 percent from the 
same period in 2005.   Korean tourism was up 80% for the same 
period.  While he did not offer numbers on tourists from Japan, he 
said they were comparable. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶5. (U) Due to the unilateral implementation of fingerprinting of all 
foreign visitors by the USG, the Chinese government stopped issuing 
landing visas to American travelers to Hainan in March 2004. 
However, Americans still qualify for the visa waiver program 
provided they travel in a qualifying tour group and do not stay more 
than 15 days.  The March 2004 ban appears to be much more symbolic 
than functional. 
 
 
GOLDBERG