Storyline: Visa-free policy buoys China's inbound cruise tourism [Voice_over] In the year since China implemented a visa-free travel policy for foreign tourists who are visiting the country via cruise ship, more international visitors have been arriving and departing from various ports of call. Under the policy, travelers on trips organized by or received by Chinese travel agencies can spend 15 days in the country visa-free. One of the 13 participating ports is northern China's Tianjin. Officials say more than 350,000 passengers on 200 cruise ships arrived or departed from its international terminal over the past year, representing a 93 percent increase and 67 percent increase respectively, from the same period the year prior. [Sound_bite] International traveler: "This is my second time in China. Everybody's friendly. It's nice. We come here for holiday. When we got off the boat, [it] was about five minutes, very quick." [Voice_over] Apart from the visa-free policy, other favorable measures, like expedited customs procedures, are streamlining travelers' journeys and reducing costs for international cruise operators. [Sound_bite] Zhu Long, Staff member, Dongjiang Station, Tianjin Border Inspection: "The crew members and passengers can get off right after a cruise docks. Basically, it only takes three to five seconds for each one of them to get through customs clearance. Taken together, it saves us three to four hours to clear an entire ship of passengers." [Voice_over] In recent years, China has also enhanced its mobile payment systems for international travelers with platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay accepting users who don't have a Chinese bank account or phone number. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]