The State Council has approved the policy of a 72-hour visa-free transit at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, which will officially take effect in June, according to an announcement on the website of Civil Aviation Administration of China. Following Beijing and Shanghai, Guangzhou will be the third city to enforce such a policy in mainland China.

Many international cities have carried out similar policies, such as the 7-day visa-free stay in Hong Kong and Korea's Incheon Airport lasting the stay of foreign passengers without visa for as long as 30 days. The policy has brought in more visitors to the cities, a boost to the local tourism business. Take Shanghai and Beijing for example, the two cities have attracted numerous foreign passengers to stay for a short visit since they embraced the policy from January 1. According to the data from the Shanghai Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, the first two months after the official enforcement of the policy have seen over a thousand passengers applying for visa-free stays at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. And Beijing is also expected to embrace a surge of its transit passengers in the next 3 years, from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 people per year, Beijing Tourism Development Committee predicted.

"It's enough time to tour the whole PRD area within 2 days, which will give a positive effect on the development of local tourism and economy." Tan Wangeng, General Manager of China Southern Airline was cited as saying.

Many travel agencies have voiced their support for the policy and hoped it would be carried out as soon as possible. Some of the agencies claimed they are making a specialized itinerary for those visa-free passengers.

According to insiders, the policy will not only exert a positive effect on tourism but also on the convention and exhibition industry. Guangzhou, hailed as the millennium commercial hub of China, holds various fai