The Argentinean government announced Tuesday that Chinese tourists, who have already owned a valid tourism visa for the United States or the European Union (EU), will no longer need a separate tourist visa for Argentina.
Instead, Chinese travellers will apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization, a document which is easier to obtain than a visa.
However, tourists without valid visas for the United States or the EU "must request their visas at Argentinean consulates, as stipulated in bilateral agreements," explained the statement.
"It seems reasonable to consider the usual checks carried out by Argentinean consulates as complete, if they (Chinese tourists) have obtained visas for countries with rigorous control criteria," a Gazette said.
In April, Argentina's Tourism Minister Gustavo Santos said that his country wanted to multiply by 10 the number of Chinese visitors in 2019, compared to the 40,000 seen in 2015.
Chinese ambassador to Argentina, Yang Wanming, told Xinhua that the new visa policies announced by the Argentinean government will attract more Chinese tourists.
"We hope these policies are implemented as soon as possible," added the diplomat.
