□　Written by Li J ing

Visas of 25 Countries are Available in Chongqing， a City Attracting the World by Its Openness

□Written by Li J ing

The 30thof March in 2016 witnessed the first-day operation of the France-Germany Visa Application Center. Located in Yuzhong District of Chongqing, the center processes applications of short-term visa(within 90 days)to Germany for people in southwest China (Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guizhou) and France for mainland citizens. It is one of the fi rst visa application centers established by EU Schengen countries outside cities where locate the embassies and consulates, which means people who plan to travel to France and Germany no longer need to go to Chengdu for visa application.

Following the formal operation of the France-Germany Visa Application Center, 8 countries including Finland and Switzerland, jointly established a Schengen Countries Visa Center in Chongqing on 5thof April. The center, which is located on the 33thfl oor of HNA-Poly Mansion on Minsheng Road No. 235, Yuzhong District, accepts applications for short-term(within 3 months) visa of 8 countries, namely, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Austria, Croatia, Belgium and Denmark.

Up to now, visa of 25 countries can be obtained in Chongqing City, which include Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Slovenia, Estonia, Czech, Lithuania, Malta, Hungary, Canada, Japan, UK, Denmark, Cambodia, Philippines, Ethiopia, Holland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Belgium, France andGermany. Chongqing citizens can get the "ticket" to these 25 countries without going far.

The year 2016 is full of surprises for Chongqing. The establishment of such visa application centers will undoubtedly bring Chongqing closer to the world and open a new door for the world to better understand Chongqing.

Visa to be obtained within 48 hours on the "doorstep", "travel whenever decide to" becomes a reality

In the old days, if Chongqing people planned to take a trip to European countries, they would either fly to cities like Beijing and Shanghai to apply for visas at the embassy or consulate there, or turn to visa-assistance companies and travel agencies for help, which could save weary journeys but meant a large amount of agent fees. The whole process would take more than half a month and sometimes the scheduled travel date could be missed, thus wasting time, money and energy. For such reasons, visa application became a stumbling block for people who wanted to travel to Europe. So many chances to travel around the world just passed by.

In the past, Chongqing citizens planning to go to Europe would usually choose countries with consulates established in Chengdu or Chongqing as destinations to save trouble. Things would become much more difficult if they wanted to go to western European countries like Spain and Greece or northern European countries like Finland and Switzerland of which there are no consulate locally or in nearby cities.

Chongqing people never worry about lack of delicious food because there are so many tasty local specialties in Chongqing. The thought of traveling abroad, however, distressed them a lot. Fortunately, qualitative changes happened last year. The visa application procedure has become easier and faster. The establishment of these visa centers in Chongqing makes the dream of “traveling whenever decide to” within easy reach.

First of all, citizens can obtain visas just at the “doorstep”instead of flying to Beijing or Shanghai. Secondly, embassies and consulates in China have all shortened the processing time for visa applications. It takes averagely 36 hours to get an Italy visa, that is, less than two working days. This is because Italy has sent several visa offi cers to Chongqing so that the visa can be issued directly. Furthermore, the shortest processing time for short-term visas to France and Germany is only 24 to 48 hours. The visa application centers in Chongqing also provide personal, group and business visas and integrated services. People planning to travel to northern or southern European countries just need to submit required materials to the visa center and wait for the materials to be processed and the visa to be issued.

As for applications of visa to other European countries, for example, Finland, though there's visa application center in Chongqing, the required materials still need to be sent to the consulate general in Beijing to get reviewed. The good news is that from the acceptance of materials in Chongqing to the review in Beijing, the process takes only a week or so, with time mainly spent on mailing.

The establishment of visa application centers in Chongqing accords with the general trend, which can better cater to Chongqing tourists and remove their worries about complicated visa application procedure, thus encouraging more Chongqing tourists to go to Europe, get to know Europe and get closer to Europe.

Visa Centers Established in Open Chongqing ---- Icing on the Cake

Chongqing's frequent contact with the international community is fi rstly refl ected on the direct international routes. As of December in 2015, Chongqing airport has opened totally 49 international and regional routes, with 34 of which being passenger routes. Including the route to Samui Island which is newly added in January of 2016, there are total 50 international and regional routes.

In 25thof June, direct aviation service between London and Chongqing was initiated. While direct fl ight brings convenience for citizens to travel abroad, the establishment of visa application centers is the icing on the cake.

Secondly, the number of outbound tourists also demonstrates closer ties with the world. Early in 2013, China ranked first globally in terms of the number of outbound visits and tourism consumption. And in these years, the ranking has remained the same. According to the prediction in a recent report made by UNWTO, despite economic slowdown, China will hold its position as the largest outbound tourism market.

As the first direct route between Chongqing and Europe, the fl ight to Helsinki opened by Finland has run for 4 years during which time the volume of tourists has doubled. In 2015, the number of Chinese tourists who stayed the night in Finland increased by 40% from a year earlier and Chinese tourists have become the leading consumer per visit averagely among all international visitors of Finland. Finair authority changed the airline schedule to six flights per week and in 2016 one flight per day. Direct aviation has facilitated the exchange between Chongqing and Finland and at the same time lays the foundation for the establishment of Finland visa application center in Chongqing.

In April of 2015, Italy opened the direct route between Chongqing and Rome, with two flights respectively on every Monday and Friday. It became common to hear people talking in Chongqing dialect on the streets in Rome. In 2015, 3.9 million Chinese people made visits to Europe, with half of them choosing France as the destination. France expects to receive more tourists from inland areas of China in the future and its goal is to see 5 million Chinese tourists annually in 2020.

With direct fl ight becoming a reality and the number of tourists increasing, many countries are sending out good messages in terms of policies to attract Chinese tourists and satisfy people’s strong demand for traveling. The establishment of visa application centers for European countries is defi nitely the icing on the cake and a driving force for high-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

The establishment of these visa centers enables people to apply for visas in places nearby, thus driving the growth of the number of people in western China to travel to Europe. It is a big step for Chongqing to build closer ties with the world . As said by Zhu Xiyan, the director of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Offi ce of Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, “the opening of the visa centers in Chongqing will greatly promote personal exchanges between the Europe and Chongqing, as well as surrounding regions.” We have every reason to believe, the open Chongqing will attract more countries to set up visa application centers or consular institutions, which in turn will bring Chongqing closer to the world.