A Chinese traveller displays his visa-on-arrival at the Boryspil airport in Kiev, Ukraine, on June 20, 2016. (Xinhua Photo)

KIEV, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will introduce e-visa service for foreigners entering the country starting next year, a senior Ukrainian Foreign Ministry official announced on Monday.

Andriy Zayats, the State Secretary of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, said in an interview with a local online media outlet LB.ua that the introduction of e-visas would enable foreigners to apply for the Ukrainian visa online starting from the first quarter of 2018.

The move will lessen the work load on Ukrainian consular points at airports and attract more tourists from other countries which were granted visa-on-arrival entry to Ukraine, Zayats said.

Last year, Ukraine has introduced the visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese citizens at Kiev Boryspil Airport and the airport of Ukraine's southern Black Sea resort of Odessa.

Chinese citizens can obtain 15-day Ukrainian entry visas upon their arrival if they have a document confirming the business or tourist purpose of the visit.

Amid the liberalization of the visa policy, the number of Chinese visitors to Ukraine has risen by more than 50 percent and reached 20,555 visitors in 2016, marking a record in the past 10 years.