For information this week, Hong Kong Airport has introduced a new policy, and tourists can participate in free Victoria Harbour tours when transferring to Hong Kong, which is good news for transit passengers in Hong Kong. The Korean team interview plan will take effect before the end of September, which will have a certain stimulating effect on South Korea's travel
In terms of overseas information, the Disney Discovery cruise ship departing from Singapore is currently confirmed to be postponed until next year to start its maiden voyage. France and Paris have been on strike recently. For friends who want to visit these two countries, please pay attention to the recent situation. For more information, please see the main text below
The South Korean visa-free plan is implemented before the National Day
September 29 this year to June 30 next year, South Korea will implement a visa-free entry policy for Chinese group tourists, that is, 3 people or more, with a stay period of 15 days. This policy requires registration for visiting South Korea through a travel agency designated by the South Korean government. You must take the same flight or ship to enter and exit the country.
In order to prevent illegal detention, the South Korean government requires travel agencies to register the list of tourists on the Ministry of Justice’s service website “hikorea” 24 hours before tourists enter the country (36 hours before entering the country by boat).
The Entry and Exit Department of the Ministry of Law will review the list and report the results to the travel agency 24 hours before the tourists enter the country 12 hours before the tourists enter the country. People with restricted entry or high-risk groups with records of illegal detention will be excluded from visa-free objects. At the same time, the previous 30-day visa-free treatment in Jeju Island continued The current number of inbound tourists in South Korea has exceeded the pre-epidemic level. The number of foreign tourists received 10.56 million in the first seven months of this year, an increase of 15.9% year-on-year, reaching 106.8% in the same period in 2019. In July alone, it received 1.73 million foreign tourists, an increase of 23.1% year-on-year, an increase of 19.7% from the same month in 2019 before the epidemic In this, there are 600,000 mainland tourists in mainland China, accounting for 34.7%; followed by 290,000 in Japan, 17.3%, 190,000 in Taiwan, 11.5%, 130,000 in the United States, 7.6% and 60,000 in Hong Kong, China, 3.7%
You can visit Victoria Harbor for free through Hong Kong
Recently, Hong Kong International Airport has launched a free transfer city tour with Trip. It will be transferred via Hong Kong International Airport. If the transfer time exceeds 7 hours, you will have the opportunity to participate
Online appointments can be made up to 14 days in advance, or on-site registration at the service counter, depending on the quota. There are two time periods to choose from in-city tours: 12:00-16:00, Cultural Experience & City Walk; 17:30-21:30, Victoria Harbour & West Kowloon Seaside Tour
For passengers who need to transfer to Hong Kong, you can consider making arrangements
Russia's visa-free progress to China needs to be accelerated
According to TASS on September 10, relevant Russian departments have begun to implement the decision of Russian President Putin on the implementation of visa-free policy for Chinese citizens. The news was announced by Condratiev, Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects of the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia
Russian President Putin earlier stated that Russia would implement a visa-free policy for Chinese citizens. From September 15, 2025 to September 14, 2026, China will pilot a 30-day visa-free policy for Russian people with ordinary passports
The first flight of Disney cruise ships was postponed
It is reported that the ship was originally scheduled to set sail from Singapore on December 15 this year. The highly anticipated "Disney Expedition" cruise ship will be postponed to March 10 next year due to shipbuilding delays
Joe, President of Disney Signature Experiences "We encountered unexpected delays during the shipbuilding process
According to the arrangement, passengers who originally scheduled to participate in the maiden flight on December 15 will automatically change to the new maiden flight date on March 10, and half of the fare will be refunded. If you cannot travel on the new date, you can choose to refund the money in full and enjoy a 50% discount on your future flight, valid until March 31, 2027
Disney Cruise Company, a Disney Cruise Company A Line's spokesman pointed out that 25 voyages originally scheduled to be between December 15 this year and March 12 next year will be affected
The company is directly contacting affected travelers and travel agencies to provide alternative arrangements. Affected passengers can apply for a refund or change other flights through the travel agency. Refund application must be submitted before September 21 this year. Other affected passengers can choose to refund the money in full and enjoy a 50% discount on rebooking a future voyage
Disney Expedition was originally built by the German MV Werften shipyard, which was originally MV Werften The shipyard is built for Genting Hong Kong's Dream Cruise Company, mainly aimed at the Asian market
In 2022, the construction work was forced to stop due to the bankruptcy filed by MV Werften and its parent company Genting Group filed for bankruptcy in January 2022. Disney acquired the unfinished vessel in 2022 and was taken over by Meyer Group, transferring it to Germany's Wisma, Germany, and continued to complete the construction. It seems that the current progress of the ship is not ideal and does not meet the expected requirements
French strike
According to the WeChat official account of the "Chinese Embassy in France", on September 8, the government led by French Prime Minister Belu was not approved in a vote of confidence held in the National Assembly. Belu will submit his resignation to President Macron on September 9 on behalf of the government
On September 18, some industries including air traffic controllers will also hold strikes and demonstrations, and one-quarter of flights are expected to be cancelled at major Paris airports
The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in France once again reminded Chinese citizens traveling to France, especially tourists coming to France, to pay close attention to flight information and local security situations, to stay away from the demonstration areas, to reduce non-essential outings, especially to travel alone at night, and to pay attention to personal and property safety. If there is an emergency, please leave the scene as soon as possible, call the police in time and contact the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in France for assistance
Korea Airport Strike
The "National Airport Labor Federation" of South Korea officially announced that it will launch a general strike from September 19, which is expected to continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which may affect the operations of 15 major airports in South Korea, including Incheon and Gimpo. At that time, flight delays and even cancellations may occur
Bali enters a state of emergency In recent days, heavy rains in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara provinces in Indonesia have caused floods, causing at least 19 deaths and 10 missing
The Indonesian National Disaster Reduction Agency and the Bali Provincial Government jointly announced on the evening of September 10 that Bali has entered a one-week disaster emergency
A large number of houses, hotels and hotels in Bali were flooded, and some tourists had to be urgently transferred from rubber boats
According to Indonesian media reports, since Tuesday night, Bali has continued to rain heavily and winds, floods have destroyed many streets in Denpasar, and several stores and surrounding buildings have been severely damaged
At present, a joint rescue force composed of multiple local departments is stepping up the transfer of trapped people and foreign tourists surrounded by floods. As the flood gradually subsides, the river water level has fallen
However, the Meteorological Department expects heavy rainfall to continue in parts of Bali in the next few days. The local government calls on residents in low-lying areas, especially those living on the river bank, to be highly vigilant
Officially emphasized that there are no news of deaths of foreign tourists at the moment, and the flight operations at Bali International Airport are not affected
Southwest Airlines announces free WIFI
Southwest Airlines official website announced that starting from October 24th local time, free on-flight WiFi will be provided to all frequent flyer members
It is reported that the partner is T-Mobile, which ensures that frequent flyers can connect to the Internet all flights at no additional cost. This is the first large American airline to provide free WiFi on all flights this year
Southwest Airlines CEO said: "This is an important step for us to continuously improve the cabin experience. Passengers will experience more service upgrades in the coming months."
A flight from Hong Kong Express landed and crashed into the lawn
On the morning of September 8, a Hong Kong express flight UO235, arriving from Beijing Daxing International Airport, was suspected to deviate from the runway and hit the lawn when landing, and the landing gear was smoked at one point. Rescue personnel rushed to the scene quickly. After preliminary inspection, it was confirmed that no one was injured in the incident
Affected by the accident, the North Runway was once closed for further investigation and handling. The airport has immediately launched response measures, arranged for buses to go to the accident site, and picked up all passengers on the flight safely.
Civil Aviation Department stated that after the passenger plane suspected of deviating when landing on the north runway, the air traffic control personnel immediately notified the Airport Administration and other relevant units according to the established mechanism; no one was injured in the incident
The Civil Aviation Department is paying close attention to this incident and is closely following up with Hong Kong Express Airlines. It has informed the civil aviation accident investigation agency according to the established procedures and fully cooperated to investigate the cause of the accident
Hong Kong Express said that the flight UO235 involved was from Beijing Daxing to Hong Kong and deviated after landing safely at Hong Kong International Airport. The aircraft then stayed on the slide, and the crew handled it according to standard operating procedures
There were 137 passengers and crew members on the plane, and no reports of injuries were received from passengers. The passenger had left the cabin. The crew has provided necessary assistance to passengers and continues to provide the latest information to passengers
BATF flight sends Mayday signal
On September 8, Sydney Airport in Australia entered a state of emergency due to a British Airways passenger plane sending a Mayday signal shortly after taking off from the airport
BUS Airways' Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight was originally flying to Singapore. It was reported that the plane took off shortly after 3 pm. When it flew across the Midwest of New South Wales, the crew sent a Mayday signal and was forced to return
A spokesperson for the Sydney Airport said, "the aircraft has landed safely at Sydney Airport and all passengers have disembarked safely." According to the Sydney Airport statement, the aircraft has now returned to the terminal gate and the airport operations are "unaffected". British Airways confirmed in a statement that “due to technical problems, the plane returned to Sydney Airport as a precautionary measure.”
Malaysia Airlines launches Chengdu route
Yesterday, at the 2025 Malaysia International Tourism Exhibition, Malaysia Airlines officially announced that it will resume its nine-year-old route in Chengdu, China from January 9, 2026. At that time, Malaysia Airlines will fly directly from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
This route was suspended in 2017 due to the reorganization of Malaysia Airlines network. After China and Malaysia were exempted from visas, they went to both directions. Not only did the number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia increase, but Chengdu is also an important destination for Malaysian tourists
Malaysian Airlines Group, a Malaysian carrier, said in a statement on Friday that the expansion of China's route network strengthens the airline group's layout in Asia's fastest growing leisure and business tourism market
Chinese tourists driving accident in South Island New Zealand
Recently, a serious car accident occurred near Wanaka, the South Island of New Zealand, and five people were injured. One of them was in critical condition and was sent to a hospital in Christchurch by a helicopter for emergency treatment
Two other injured were taken to Dunedin Hospital, at least one of whom was seriously injured; two others were sent to Dunstan Hospital, one person was seriously injured and the other was moderately injured
The Chinese Consulate General in Christchurch issued a document confirming the news: "Many citizens were injured, one of them was particularly serious because they did not wear a seat belt." The Consulate General once again solemnly reminded Chinese tourists to drive themselves to pay close attention to traffic safety: remember to "drive left", never go against the road or cross the middle line
