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A decision by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to grant visas on arrival for Chinese visitors makes it the 58th country to offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to Chinese citizens. Experts anticipate that the policy change will boost the country’s tourism industry.

The decision was adopted by the UAE cabinet in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 4, though the Dubai Media Office did not reveal the exact date the change would be implemented, Xinhua reported.

The favorable policy has been met with great enthusiasm by Chinese citizens. Online discussions hashtagged “UAEVisaonArrivalforChinese” have garnered more than 35,000 views as of press time, while online searches for travel plans in the UAE have skyrocketed on Ctrip, one of China’s biggest online travel companies, thepaper.cn reported.

“The UAE’s tourism projects, such as luxury shopping, hotels and cruises on private yachts have found favor with wealthy Chinese tourists. Meanwhile, safety has become a major concern for Chinese travelers, making Dubai a perfect destination as the country’s public security is good,” an employee at Ctrip told thepaper.cn.

“The peak tourism season in the UAE is from November to March. If the policy can be implemented before that, more Chinese tourists are expected to visit the country,” said Ni Jiali, a tourism manager from Lümama, a Shanghai-based tourism booking site, in an interview with thepaper.cn.

In 2015, 450,000 Chinese visitors traveled to the UAE, up 29 percent from the previous year. This growth represented the highest increase among all nationalities visiting the Gulf Arab state, Xinhua reported.

As of press time, ordinary Chinese passport-holders are permitted to visit 58 countries and territories without first having to apply for a visa, putting the PRC passport in 87th place according to the Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index.