It looks like Guangzhou’s special 72-hour visa-free transit policy has been a success. The number of passengers visiting Guangzhou visa-free has been increasing steadily since it was introduced on August 1, China Daily reports.

Tourists enjoy a Cantonese breakfast in August, image courtesy of China Daily

By October 29, 534 foreign visitors had enjoyed a 72-hour visa-free stay in the provincial capital. The number of users climbed from 96 in August to 166 in September, an increase of 73 percent.

The exit-entry authority of Baiyun district received an average of 10 requests for a 72-hour visa-free stay every day in October.

Almost half of the visitors have been Australian, as the airport attempts to compete as a popular stopover for flights between Europe and Australia.

Airbus A380 service to Sydney and Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to Auckland were launched last week by China Southern Airlines to add to the Dreamliner flights to London that were introduced in September, all of which should help make the “Canton Route” more popular.

The paper has more:

Christine O’Maley, a Sydney-based public relations executive for the airline, hopes that Guangzhou will become the next hotspot for stopovers between Oceania and Europe.

“Australians often fly to the UK to visit friends and family. It’s a long flight of 24 hours so most passengers will choose to make a stopover to have a rest and explore a new city,” O’Maley said.

“Popular stopover choices have been Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. And Dubai has become a new favorite as Emirates has vigorously tapped the market in Australia in recent years.

“We are strengthening promotions of China Southern Airlines and Guangzhou’s visa-free transit policy in Australia,” added the PR executive, who accompanied 11 journalists from major media outlets in Australia and New Zealand on their weekend trip to Guangzhou.

Guangzhou Airport has at least one advantage as a stopover: it’s almost never boring.