"The waiver is definitely a giant step forward that will greatly boost tourism," said Zhang Hui, a professor of tourism at Beijing Jiaotong University.
"Business tours and high-end travel will benefit the most.
"Those on business trips usually don't have sightseeing plans, so they're free to explore when they have time," Zhang said. "However, the relatively tight visa restrictions China now adopts only put potential visitors off.''
The countries include the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, Japan and Singapore, according to the committee.
No decision has been made on including more countries and the program will have to be evaluated.
Solar yacht put into use in SE China