Beijing, Dec 27 (IANS): The Chinese cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei will allow visitors from 53 countries to visit the region, without having to obtain a visa, for a six-day stay, the media reported.

The measure will be implemented on Thursday and will be applied to visitors from 53 countries including the Schengen area member states, the US, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina, the official People's Daily reported on Twitter.

Currently, Beijing and Tianjin allow visa-free visits of up to 72 hours -- a measure applied in 16 other international airports including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi'an, Efe news cited the daily as saying.

The move is aimed at facilitating business visits and increasing the number of tourists in China, which is ranked fourth on the list of countries most visited by tourists.

The measure involves coordination between Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, a northern province that has been eyed by the central government as the next economic corridor equivalent to the traditional hubs in the deltas of the Rivers Yangtze (area around Shanghai) and Pearl (Guangzhou and Hong Kong).