BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced on Monday that the country's 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been expanded to three more entry ports, taking the number of ports covered by the policy to 37.

The three new ports include Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in central China's Henan Province, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport in southwest China's Yunnan Province, and the Mohan railway port in Yunnan, the administration said in a statement.

Starting from Monday, eligible foreign nationals can enter China through Zhengzhou aviation port visa-free, with their stay limited within Henan Province. Additionally, people entering Yunnan visa-free are allowed to stay in more areas of the province. Previously, they could only stay in the provincial capital Kunming whereas now, they can visit nine city or prefecture-level areas including Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Xishuangbanna, according to the NIA.

The two provinces both boast rich tourist resources.

Henan, where many ancient dynasties had established their capitals, is home to sites of great historical interest including the Shaolin Temple and the Longmen Grottoes.

Yunnan boasts multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Old Town of Lijiang and the Hani rice terraces. It is also home to over 20 ethnic groups.

At present, foreign nationals from 54 countries such as the United States, Canada, and Britain are eligible for the 144-hour visa-free policy for the purpose of short-term activities such as travel and business visits.

The NIA statement said the expansion of the visa-free policy is expected to provide more choices for foreign nationals traveling and doing business in China.

It said the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy has played an important role in the country's high-level opening-up, facilitating the exchange of people between China and other countries, and promoting exchanges and cooperation. It pledged to continue to improve and optimize the policy and welcome foreign visitors with a more open mind.

The NIA said earlier this month that China had recorded 14.64 million inbound trips made by foreigners in the first half of this year, up 152.7 percent year on year. Among them, 8.54 million entered China visa-free, accounting for 52 percent of the inbound trips and representing a year-on-year surge of 190.1 percent.

In addition to the expanded visa-free policies, China has also launched a series of other measures to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals and their stay in China, including relaxed visa application requirements and simplified procedures, exemption of border checks for certain transit passengers and more convenient mobile payment services for foreigners.

The NIA expects the number of foreigners visiting China to continue to rise in the second half of this year.

As measures are making visits to China increasingly easier, the country has become a popular destination for overseas tourists. With more people posting their travel experiences in China on social media, "China Travel" has become a top trending search term on multiple global social media platforms.

China will continue to embrace the world with open arms, inject new dynamism into the world through its development and create more energy and enthusiasm for people-to-people exchanges, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said last week.