The new cities included under the policy are Qingdao, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming.
China has implemented a 144-hour visa-free transit policy to five more cities on Tuesday (January 1) for travellers from 53 countries.
The new cities included under the policy are Qingdao, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming.
The transit policy covers nationals from 53 countries in Europe and the US such as Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
To qualify, travellers must carry effective international travel certificates and have definite onward travel within 144 hours when entering those five cities.
The move replaces a previous 72-hour visa-free transit policy.
The new policy allows tourists to enter and exit Qingdao and Xiamen through air and sea ports. Those transiting through Qingdao can stay elsewhere in Shandong during the 144-hour period, according to Li Zhuqun, deputy head of the Shandong Provincial Public Security Department, The Jakarta Post reported.
The State Council had approved the 72-hour visa-free transit for international travellers from 18 cities in 2013.
It later extended the transit window to 144 hours in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shanghai and the neighbouring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, as well as the cities of Shenyang and Dalian in Liaoning Province, according to the National Immigration Administration.
The country welcomes about 43 million visitors annually.