All of this is good news for Beijing's tourism industry. Businesses here are expecting a boom in activity when the visa waiver gets underway.

Is Beijing ready for a visitor boom?

A pilot visa-waiver program set to underway next year will give overseas tourists and business travellers 3 days to stay in Beijing without a visa.

And businesses catering to tourists in the Chinese capital city are already brewing plans to make good use of the opportunity.

For convention and exhibition companies, the three-day short stay is long enough for foreign visitors to get a glimpse of local recreational activities and hospitality.

Ma Li, Relation Conference & Exhibition Services, said, "We will create a new exhibition on newly emerged industries, like the motor home show, camping facilities, yachts...interactive shows like these. And attendees will have enough time to talk business during the event."

When the sun goes down, stopover visitors will also find great places to spend the night in Beijing, like watching a bilingual subtitled play in a Beijing theatre.

Zhu Mingming, Art Director of Dayin Theatre, said, "We will put more plays with no cultural boundaries, ones that are easier for a foreign audience to understand. And we will provide new subtitle facilities, to show the translations of the musicals and plays. We will also extend the show hours for a foreign audience."

The tourism consumption market is considered lucrative by local businesses. and the three-day visa-free stay in Beijing looks to give transit travellers a great excuse to take a closer look at one of the most bustling cities in the world - and spend their hard-earned tourist cash.