MORE than 50,000 foreign visitors this year have taken up the option of the 144-hour, visa-free transit policy offered at Pudong International Airport, the city’s immigration inspection authority said yesterday.

The figure represents a 70 percent rise over the same period last year, when visitors were only granted 72 hours and restricted to flying from Shanghai’s two airports.

The visa-free transit policy was introduced on January 30 last year, allowing citizens from 53 countries to stay in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang without a visa.