I’ve heard that foreigners have fallen under increased scrutiny in China lately, not least because of some YouTube videos showing drunken Western louts harassing Chinese ladies in subways and on the street. So now the country has introduced some strict new requirements for tourists, such as showing a letter of invitation to visit and proof of hotel reservations. Story here.
Excerpt: "Travellers applying for tourist visas must submit a letter from an ‘authorised tourism unit,’ company or person inviting them to China, along with a photocopy of their round-trip ticket and hotel reservation, according to rules posted on the website of China’s embassy in Thailand and in other countries.‘’
The new rules have already been posted on Chinese Embassy websites in various countries. It remains to be seen how strict they’re going to be with these, but if you’re planning a trip to the Middle Kingdom anytime soon, you may want to check into this.
The Thai authorities are already saying maybe more people will come here instead.