CHENGDU, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, will extend its visa-free period for foreigners transiting through the city from 72 hours to 144 next year, local authorities said Saturday.

People of 53 listed nationalities with valid travel documents and onward travel booked for within 144 hours are eligible for the visa-free policy, which will become available from January 1, 2019.

The new arrangement is an extension and optimization of the current 72-hour visa-free transit policy, according to the exit and entry administration of the Sichuan provincial public security bureau.

Besides Chengdu, Fujian Province's coastal city of Xiamen, Shandong Province's coastal city of Qingdao, Hubei Province's capital city of Wuhan, and Yunnan Province's capital city of Kunming will also implement the policy on New Year's Day.

Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region have been offering the visa-free service, allowing transit passengers to stay up to six days in total.