Relaxed, refined — foreign visitors impressed by 'shopping paradise'

Nationwide boom

As an international city, Shanghai authorities and businesses are well aware of the need to offer a diverse range of products and experiences to visitors from different countries and regions.

In early July, children from Brazil, Switzerland and Lithuania were excitedly looking for the globally popular Labubu plush toys at a Pop Mart store on the city's East Nanjing Road.

In the same area, Indian tourists Vipulq and Itika said they were impressed by the city's fashion culture as well as the quality and affordability of most products.

At Yuyuan Garden, where international tourists often buy traditional Chinese cultural products, intangible cultural heritage crafts and delicacies, two Romanian students told China Daily they planned to purchase some pearl accessories. There was also a variety of souvenirs, snacks, silk dresses and mooncakes, which they were interested in.

In the first half of this year, Shanghai welcomed over 4.24 million inbound tourists, up 38.5 percent year-on-year. The sales of departure tax refundable goods grew 85 percent year-on-year during the period, with the sales of goods with instant tax refunds surging 28.1-fold.

The Shanghai Municipal Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration said over 63,000 international travelers from 167 countries and regions received departure tax refunds in the first half of the year.

Beijing also launched the departure tax refund service a decade ago in a bid to draw larger numbers of foreign tourists.

The city received 2.46 million inbound tourists in the first half of the year, up 48.8 percent year-on-year, according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism data.

Beijing has seen average monthly sales of departure tax refundable goods exceed 100 million yuan at over 1,400 tax refund stores across the city this year.

Chinese brands and products accounted for 40 percent of the total refunds, according to the Beijing Municipal Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration.

In Guangdong province, Shenzhen has seen sales of departure tax refundable goods grow 2.45-fold so far this year. Sales of goods with instant tax refunds recorded a 22-fold increase by June 10.

By May 22, Guangzhou had witnessed sharp growth in inbound tourists from Southeast Asian countries, with total inbound visitors expanding 57.86 percent year-on-year and inbound spending increasing 68.63 percent year-on-year, according to data from Chinese online travel agency Ctrip.

In Southwest China, Chongqing is also drawing massive numbers of international visitors, with over 775,000 inbound visits from January to May, an 82.1 percent year-on-year rise.

Chengdu in Sichuan province welcomed more than 984,000 inbound visits in the first half of the year, surging 51.5 percent year-on-year.

In the first quarter of this year, Chengdu recorded 270 percent growth in sales of departure tax refundable goods at over 420 stores, official data showed.

Angel Cuerdo and Fabiola Jubin, a Spanish couple in their 50s, said they had a wonderful travel experience in China, after a previous visit to the country about two decades ago. Although their luggage was almost full when they arrived in Shanghai after visiting other countries, they spent around 200 euros ($234.7) buying a backpack, headphones, tech products and traditional books.

"I am sending messages to all my friends, telling them that this is really an unexpected and great experience for us. It is safe here and everything is clean," they said in unison.

"People were really nice to us and shopping is much cheaper. I would 100 percent recommend to everybody to come here and try the new Chinese experience."

Hong Lan and Zhang Yifan contributed to this story.