The European Chamber of Commerce in China welcomes the ADS
(authorized destination status) agreement approved at the EU-China
Summit in Beijing at the end of last month, China Daily
learned from the European Chamber yesterday. The agreement means
that Chinese tourists will be able to visit most EU (European
Union) member countries.
This agreement will not only benefit the tourist industry in
Europe and China, but will also encourage people-to-people
contacts, as more citizens from each side get to know each other,
said sources with the European Chamber based in Beijing.
The ADS agreement extends the approved tourist destination
status to all EU countries except Denmark, Ireland and Britain.
The 10 new countries to join the EU in May 2004 will also be
covered by this agreement, but as they are not yet members of the
Schengen area, they will issue national visas for the interim
period until they integrate fully into Schengen, the sources said.
The Schengen area covers the 13 countries which have signed the
convention implementing the Schengen Agreements of 1985 and 1990 on
the free movement of persons and the standardization of border
controls in Europe.
The ADS agreement will make traveling to EU countries more
convenient for Chinese nationals in tour groups, giving them easier
access to travel services, visas and foreign currency.
Before the advent of the ADS agreement, Chinese nationals could
only get business visas to visit most European countries and they
usually went there only on business.
(China Daily November 11, 2003)