Beijing has vowed to step up promotion of its 72-hour visa-free policy, aiming to attract more foreign transit tourists following a drop in arrivals for overnight stays in the past six months.

About 2.14 million tourists visited the capital during the first half of the year, a 14.3 percent decline compared with the same period last year, according to the Beijing statistics department.

"The city is considering further cooperation with Beijing Capital International Airport and Air China to come up with air ticket discounts, while building an alliance to attract more foreign transit tourists," Lu Yong, director of the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development, said at a conference.