Inbound Tourism Orders during May Day Surge 173% Year – on – Year

Driven by favorable policies, the boom in foreign tourists traveling and shopping in China has returned. Inbound tourism orders during the May Day holiday have increased by 173% year – on – year1. Shanghai, a popular destination, received 1.743 million inbound tourists in the first quarter, a year – on – year increase of 37.1%1. The “immediate refund upon purchase” service for tax – free shopping upon departure is favored1. China has optimized the payment facilitation for foreign tourists and reduced the minimum threshold for tax – free shopping upon departure to 200 yuan1.

With the support of various favorable policies, the waves of “China tour” and “China shopping” for foreign tourists are coming again1. Driven by the tax – free shopping service upon departure, the volume of inbound tourists in China has continued to expand1. During the May Day holiday, Shanghai has further optimized the consumption environment for tax – free shopping upon departure, enabling overseas tourists to enjoy more convenient services1.

Since China introduced a series of visa – free policies last year, the number of inbound foreign tourists in Shanghai has increased significantly1. In the first quarter, it received 1.743 million inbound tourists, a year – on – year increase of 37.1%1. In Tianzifang, a landmark popular among foreign tourists, a wide variety of Chinese – style goods such as flower tea, porcelain, and paper – cuttings are popular among foreign consumers1.

Petra, a German tourist, said, “We came here to shop. We bought silk scarves and other tourist souvenirs. We came to China nine years ago. I have seen the changes in these nine years. Now we don’t need a visa to come here, and it’s much easier for us to travel here”1.

Since the promotion of the “immediate refund upon purchase” service for tax – free shopping in April, many foreigners have flown to China in groups to purchase on behalf of others1. Not only food, clothing, and handicrafts, but also electronic products such as mobile phones and computers are popular among foreign tourists1. “Made – in – China” products have also been added to the “purchase – on – behalf list” of foreigners1.

Sergio, a Mexican tourist, said, “In fact, you can find every technology you want here. You can find many things you can’t imagine. So I believe it’s really good for foreigners to come to Shanghai to shop. This is a very good city”1.

Recently, China has introduced a series of new measures to optimize the payment facilitation for foreign tourists, such as reducing the minimum threshold for tax – free shopping upon departure from 500 yuan to 200 yuan1. As one of the pilot cities for the “immediate refund upon purchase” policy for tax – free shopping, Shanghai currently has 587 tax – free shops, 284 of which have implemented the “immediate refund upon purchase” service1.

Liu Min, the deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, said, “In recent years, the scale of tax – free shopping sales in Shanghai has always been among the top in the country1. Last year, the city received 6.706 million inbound tourists, a year – on – year increase of 84%1. The city’s tax – free shops issued 86,000 tax – free refund forms for overseas tourists, with the sales volume of tax – free goods reaching 2.37 billion yuan, a year – on – year increase of 86.6%1. In the first quarter of this year, the scale of tax – free shopping sales in Shanghai continued to maintain a high – growth momentum, with the sales volume of tax – free goods reaching 760 million yuan, a year – on – year increase of 85%1. The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce will also work with relevant departments to further optimize the consumption environment for tax – free shopping upon departure, accelerate the layout of tax – free shopping outlets, improve the convenience of tax – free shopping services in business districts, and optimize the ‘immediate refund upon purchase’ service, enabling overseas tourists to enjoy more convenient ‘immediate refund upon purchase’ services when shopping in shopping malls”1.