Visa-free travel to China

About a month ago, a friend asked if we could travel to China for a holiday.  Although I loved the idea and had thought about it before her request, my immediate response was that China will be a problem. Why? Because as an Australian passport holder, I needed a visa, but because I lived remotely, in Alice Springs to be specific, I was far away from the nearest Chinese Embassy or visa processing centre.

1. What was the problem with the China visa?

Although I could apply for a Chinese visa online, I was required to attend an interview in person at the consulate. The nearest consulate or visa centre from Alice Springs is Adelaide, which is two hours away and costs between $350 and over $1000, depending on whether you fly Virgin Airlines or Qantas.

2. Why physical visa interview is outdated

It has been long since I physically attended an embassy for a visa interview.  The last time I did was in April 2010 at the American Embassy in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Honestly, I didn’t like the cost and the inconvenience – I had to take leave from work, fly from Dili, East Timor to Bali, then Surabaya, and pay for hotel accommodation and food.

The visa interview itself took less than 3 minutes. I knew they already knew everything about me before I rocked up; they only wanted to see my face and how I presented.

The following day, I missed my return flight to Dili and had to contend with my girlfriend’s chiding for being “silly.”  Grumpily, I forked out another $400 or so to fly back to Dili.

So, the idea of a China visa interview brought back bad memories; I didn’t like it.

3. Remote travel requires special government assistance

As a person who lives and works remotely, travelling in and out of this beautiful central Australian town is a hassle.  Flights are unjustifiably expensive.

For example, a flight from Alice Springs to Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne will take, on average, two and a half hours and cost approximately $900 in return. The cheap flights other remote towns enjoy from Jetstar are entirely out of reach for Alice Springs residents.

It does not make sense for a one-way flight from Darwin to Adelaide to cost $150 but for a flight from Alice Springs to Adelaide, which is halfway, to cost $500.

It is high time the government intervened to make flights cheaper for remote workers and families by providing travel allowances, subsidising flight operators, or imposing price restrictions. For example, the government should have subsidised Fly Bonza to prevent it from going under; instead, it looked on, and the nascent airline, trying to do good to remote Australians, sank!

The free market does not always work and is not a solution to everything. Government intervention in key areas such as transport is critical.

4. Visa-Free Travel for Australians is a Big Win

That said, the bilateral arrangement between Australia and China to allow Australian citizens to visit China without a visa for 15 days is big news! It will cut costs for most Africans, who are already under significant financial strain, and allow us to plan a brief visit to China for tourism or business on our way to Africa. For more information about the visa, please check Smarttraveller.gov.au.

China acts as an affordable link between Australia and Africa. For example, China Southern, a major Chinese airline that flies from Melbourne to Guangzhou, also has direct flights from Guangzhou to Nairobi.

Recently, I flew China Southern from Melbourne to Guangzhou to Incheon and back, and it was a fantastic flight. The planes are new, the check-in process was a breeze, and the onboard services were good quality for the price.

Conclusion

The travel arrangement between Australia and China is a welcome idea. Bookings to China from Australia will skyrocket, and business relationships will increase.

Now, get online and book your holiday flights, folks. I hope that visa-free travel to China is here to stay!

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