Shi Kaifeng, a public relations officer at online travel agency Ctrip.com, said the visa exemption and visa-on-arrival policies are expected to boost the growing outbound travel market.

His agency will handle over 100 group tours from Shanghai to Thailand over the next two months.

Sales of Ctrip's holiday packages to Thailand during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday jumped 100 percent from the previous year, he said.

According to a Ctrip survey in January, Thailand, South Korea's Jeju Island, and the Maldives will become the three hottest attractions.

But a word of caution was given by Mao Yi, communications head of Spring Airlines, a Shanghai-based budget airline provider. Mao urged travelers to look out for specific visa requirements to their respective destinations.

For instance, Vietnam's visa-on-arrival policy is only applicable to travelers under urgent circumstances. He added that travelers to Malaysia are required to bring a specified amount of cash if they apply for a visa on arrival.

Wang Bin, an officer in the frontier inspection office in Tianjin, agreed.

"Visa policies vary. For example, if a traveler wants to go to Seoul from Jeju Island, they still need a visa," he added.

Liu Deqian, vice-director of the tourism research center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, welcomed the new policies.

"Although the policies will encourage more people to go abroad, preparation is still necessary. After all, visas are just one step for any trip."

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