[Photo via Beijing Daily]

Beijing's inbound tourism market has been booming this summer. In July alone, more than 600,000 entries and exits by foreign nationals were recorded at Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, representing a 31 percent year‑on‑year increase. Consumption figures have risen accordingly. In the first seven months of this year, the number of departure tax refund application forms issued in Beijing increased fourfold year on year. Sales of goods eligible for departure tax refund and the total value of tax refunds processed both increased by more than 40 percent year on year, with all indicators for the departure tax‑refund business hitting record highs. By the end of July, the number of departure tax refund stores across the city exceeded 2,000.

With continuous improvements to its international consumption environment, Beijing's inbound tourism market is shifting rapidly from traditional sightseeing toward a more diversified model that combines sightseeing with shopping.

Silk Street and Hongqiao Market are among the most popular shopping destinations for foreign visitors. Since the start of this year, the number of foreign tourists at Silk Street has grown eightfold year‑on‑year. Hongqiao Market is a well‑known popular destination combining sightseeing, catering and cultural experiences, receiving over 8,000 visits a day on average, around 70 percent of which are made by foreign tourists. Besides time‑honored Beijing specialties, smart products from Chinese brands have also become popular purchases among overseas visitors. Many foreign tourists visit the Xiaomi store at Taikoo Li Sanlitun and the DJI store at China World Mall to buy electronic products. Professional and efficient customized services also enjoy great popularity, including custom eyewear and express tailoring services for suits and qipaos at Silk Street.

The smooth shopping experience enjoyed by foreign visitors is supported by Beijing's continuous refinements to the inbound consumption service system, covering payment, transportation and tax refunds. Bilingual signs are widely available in major shopping malls, with multilingual signs reaching a 95 percent coverage rate. Multiple foreign‑currency exchange locations have been set up, and 85 percent of merchants accept international bank cards. POS terminals at the "Instant Tax Refund" centralized service points support major global card networks, including Visa, Mastercard and JCB, while Alipay's Tap‑to‑Refund function has been launched to enable real‑time tax refund disbursement. Moreover, the BEIJING PASS, the international version of Beijing's "Yikatong" card for foreign visitors, and GO BEIJING, a one‑stop comprehensive service platform, have been rolled out, delivering full‑scenario public services covering dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment for overseas visitors in Beijing.

(Source: Beijing Daily)