Foreign tourists visit the Hongcun scenic area in Yixian county, Huangshan city, east China’s Anhui Province. (Photo/Xu Jiadong)
A surge in international travelers is fueling a rise in tourism spending in China, as the country extended its unilateral visa-free policy to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on June 1. The move brings the total number of countries covered by the policy to 47.
In June, Shanghai entered its rainy season, but the weather has not slowed the flow of inbound tourists. Just 500 meters from the city’s Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, the Shanghai Elong Hotel has become a popular choice for international visitors.
This year, the hotel has seen record numbers of inbound guests. In April, more than 85 percent of bookings were from overseas, said hotel manager Zhang Guilin.
Reception manager Liu Yating reviews guest feedback daily to better understand the needs of international travelers.
"For foreign guests, a hotel is more than just a place to sleep, it is also a window into Chinese culture, hospitality and technology," she said.
The surge in international visitors is prompting hotels to improve their services. At the Shanghai Elong Hotel, all signs are now bilingual and English materials are updated more often.
Hotel staff members receive language training, learning greetings in multiple languages. "We’ve also added translation devices in case they’re needed," Liu said.
Dining options have been upgraded to blend international and local flavors. Western and Southeast Asian dishes have been added, along with Shanghai-style noodles and other local snacks. Overall, the menu has expanded by about 20 percent.
Liu also noticed a rise in guests having packages delivered before they arrive. "One European guest contacted us ahead of time to say they had ordered items from Chinese e-commerce platforms. We ended up receiving more than 100 packages for them," she said.
Often the first stop for international tourists, Shanghai is considered an ideal starting point for first-time travelers to China. After exploring the city, many visitors are eager to discover nearby destinations.
A foreign tourist samples local specialties during the fourth China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair in Ningbo city, east China’s Zhejiang Province. (Photo/Li Yue)
Data from LY.COM, a leading Chinese online booking platform, show that first-time visitors prefer popular scenic areas, while repeat travelers seek out lesser-known spots.
In March, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces signed a deal to promote integrated inbound tourism, aiming for an average annual growth rate of 10 percent in overnight international visitors from 2025 to 2027 in the Yangtze River Delta.
To better serve international guests, LY.COM launched DeepTrip, an AI-powered itinerary planner available in 17 languages.
At the Sanxingdui Museum in Guanghan, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Stephan Field, a U.S. university professor, was amazed after viewing artifacts from the ancient Shu civilization dating back more than 3,000 years. "This museum is absolutely stunning!" Field said.
Thanks to the visa-free policy, the number of foreign visitors has surged at museums across Sichuan, with Sanxingdui Museum among the most popular. To make the most of the buzz, the museum has focused on convenience and the guest experience, upgrading its services to meet a wide range of visitor needs.
Ticket booking is now more convenient. The museum provides dedicated ticket pools and booking channels for inbound visitors, with English ticketing and payment pages on its official website, WeChat public account and WeChat mini program. Visitors can book using valid passports or travel permits for those from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as the Taiwan region.
So far this year, the museum has offered more than 200 foreign-language guided tours. It also provides digital guides in seven languages — Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French and Russian — via WeChat, along with 3,000 bilingual self-service audio guide devices, which have been well received by inbound visitors.
The Beijing Department Store on Wangfujing Street, which opened in 1955, remains a barometer of the city’s retail consumption.
"The numbers are telling. In the second half of 2024, tax refund claims jumped 67 percent from the first half. In the first five months of 2025, tax refund claims nearly matched the total for all of last year," said Chen Li, head of the store’s tax refund services.
"Tax refund data shows a growing variety in purchases. Cosmetics, bags and accessories still lead, but there are also new trends. Traditional brands like Tongrentang, a time-honored traditional Chinese medicine store, Beijing cloth shoes and other local brands are now catching the attention of foreign shoppers," Chen said.
Interest in shopping in China is rising as more travelers make spontaneous trips and tax refund policies improve, an official from Beijing Customs said.
From January to May, Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport processed 12,180 tax refund claims worth about 478 million yuan ($66.5 million), up 147 percent and 92 percent year on year, respectively.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0623/c90000-20331374.html