Compared with its predecessor, the latest policy has extended in time and geographical reach, allowing visits beyond the capital to nearby Tianjin and Hebei province.

The waiver is expected to draw more foreign tourists to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and serve as an added incentive to fuel growth in the local market, Yu Qianqian, deputy director of the tourism commission, told a news conference in late December.

The commission said it is encouraging local travel service providers to design products tailor-made to the visa-free transit policy, ranging from one-day to six-day packages, in a bid to showcase the region's rich tourism resources.

At a meeting in early December, tourism authorities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei decided to develop five integrated tourism development demonstration areas by the end of 2020.