Beijing will start its 72-hour visa-free stays for visitors from 45 countries with outbound air tickets on January 1, 2013.
The UK is one of the 45 countries on the list and will mean holidaymakers in transit are able to tour the city without the usual visa restrictions.
The policy of a visa-free short term stay is not new to China. Shanghai has a 48-hour visa-free policy for travellers from selected countries who are flying on to other destinations.
Air China has announced that it will be working with local Beijing tour operators to create special 72-hour tours of Beijing to take advantage of the new policy, largely designed to bring in tourism revenue to the city by targeting business travellers using Beijing as a transit hub.
By Diane Evans and Gretchen Kelly
