Travel between China and North America just got easier.

Five additional departure points — Xiamen, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Harbin — will be added to the China Transit Program (CTP). They join a number of other cities that are already part of the program: Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Manila, and Taipei as well as Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda and Seoul Incheon.

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander made the announcement in Ottawa on July 30.

This program allows eligible Chinese travellers to transit visa-free through Toronto Pearson International Airport and Vancouver International Airport when they are en route to and from the United States.

“The further expansion of an extra five Chinese cities to the China Transit Program demonstrates our government’s commitment to increasing travel through Canada’s major transit hubs, bringing economic growth and diversity to our airline, trade and tourism sectors,” Alexander said.

“The additional passengers transiting through Vancouver and Toronto will bring with them revenue for airlines, airports and retailers through landing fees and spending by travellers. I will continue to work with the industries involved to find new ways to facilitate travel for transiting passengers,” he added.

China-based Sichuan Airlines currently offers three direct flights weekly from Chengdu to Vancouver. It is hoped that the addition of Chengdu and the other new departure cities to the CTP will encourage airlines to add more routes to Canada and that Chinese travellers will choose Toronto and Vancouver as transit hubs.

“By expanding the China Transit Program our government is demonstrating its commitment to facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” said Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. “The expansion of this program will support economic growth by attracting more business to Canada and ensuring our airlines remain competitive in the global market.”

This improvement closely follows an announcement made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a trip to China in November 2014 when Canada welcomed a 10th airline — China Southern Airlines — to both the CTP and the Transit Without Visa Program.

Canada welcomed nearly 361,000 visitors from China in 2014, 34 percent more than in the previous year.