Lugging his backpack around the Forbidden City in Beijing, French tourist Xavier counted himself as “lucky” to be at the vanguard of China’s latest campaign to reinvigorate its flagging economy.

The young traveller, clad in a woolly jacket and pink-tinted sunglasses, came to China last month after it abruptly announced visa-free access to citizens of France and five other mainly European countries late last year. Starting on Thursday, visitors from Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland were also allowed to enter visa-free.

This is in addition to mutual visa-waiver deals with Singapore and Thailand, a reinstated visa-free agreement with Brunei that was suspended during the pandemic and visa exemptions for those on short transit visits to the country.