As the Spring Festival in the Year of the Horse approaches, Shanghai is upgrading its services to accommodate a surge in inbound consumption.

Consumption scenarios for inbound tourists continue to expand, ranging from high-end shopping in core commercial districts to lively night street markets. At the same time, the city is streamlining tax refund procedures for departing tourists to enhance convenience.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, inbound consumption in 2025 reached $15 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of about 35 percent. Spending was mainly concentrated in three key sectors: dining, accommodation, and retail.

Last year, Shanghai received 9.36 million inbound tourists, up 39.58 percent from the previous year. Foreign visitors accounted for more than 70 percent of the total, with 7.14 million arrivals, representing a nearly 50 percent year-on-year increase.

Southeast and Northeast Asia remain Shanghai's core source markets. Visitors from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore together contributed nearly one-third of the city's total inbound tourist volume.

South Korea stood out in particular, with 909,100 visitors traveling to Shanghai, a 103.62 percent year-on-year increase, ranking first both in visitor number and growth rate.

Several factors underpin this strong growth in inbound tourism, including the continued benefits of visa-free policies, closer alignment of urban services with international standards, and supply-side reforms that are upgrading cultural and tourism offerings.

Looking ahead to 2026, Shanghai's inbound tourism is entering a new stage of development. The focus is shifting from simply attracting visitor numbers to delivering immersive experiences, bringing the city closer to its goal of becoming a global tourism hub.

Source: Jiefang Daily