China will offer greater visa-free access to tourists from 59 countries arriving in Hainan province starting May 1 in a move to support the island's reform and opening-up, the State Immigration Administration announced last Wednesday.

国家移民管理局上周三宣布，为支持海南全面深化改革开放，自5月1日起，我国将在海南省为59个国家的游客提供更多的入境免签服务。

Under the new policy, group and individual tourists from 59 countries can visit Hainan visa-free and stay there for up to 30 days, on the condition they book their tour through travel agencies.

根据这项新出台的政策，通过旅行社，59国的团体或个人游客将在海南享受入境旅游免签政策，免签入境停留时间最多30天。

Countries benefiting from the policy include Russia, the UK, France, Germany, the US, South Korea and Japan.

这一免签政策将惠及俄罗斯、英国、法国、德国、美国、韩国和日本等国。

Hainan has offered a 15-day visa-free stay for group tourists from 21 countries since 2000, and added another five countries to the list in 2010.

自2000年起，海南已经为来自21个国家的团队游客提供了15天的免签证停留，并在2010年又增加了另外5个国家。

"By extending the policy to individuals and the stay to up to 30 days, the government aims to attract more international tourists, nurture¹ the tourism industry and meet the needs of foreign individuals," said the administration's vice² head Qu Yunhai.

国家移民管理局副局长曲云海表示：“将政策扩大到个人并延长至30天，政府的目的是吸引更多的国际游客，促进旅游业发展，满足外国个人游客的需求。”

The island has become a famous tropical resort for overseas tourists in recent years, with the number of overseas tourists exceeding 1.1 million in 2017, up nearly 50 percent year on year.

近年来，对海外游客来说，海南岛已成为一个著名的热带度假胜地，2017年海外游客的数量超过了110万，同比增长近50%。

"The policy will inject vitality³ into Hainan and bring us closer to our goal of becoming a world-class destination," said Sun Ying, director of the provincial⁴ tourism development commission.

海南省旅游发展委员会主任孙颖表示：“这一新政策将为海南注入活力，使我们更接近成为世界级旅游目的地的目标。”