Recently, the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau has released the Notice on Applying for Projects for Municipal Funding for Construction of an International Consumption Environment (hereinafter referred to as the Notice), aiming to stimulate market vitality and further upgrade the international consumption environment in Beijing.

Three key areas will be prioritized in receiving support:

First, the Notice supports the development of international-friendly commercial districts and venues by improving services at key locations such as commercial areas, rated tourist attractions, and major transport hubs. Specifically, better multilingual signage, departure tax refund services, and luggage storage services will be offered, and more locations are expected to accept payment with international bank cards. Rewards of up to 3 million yuan will be given to these locations.

Second, it supports the development of internationally oriented scenarios for consumption and service items by encouraging businesses to launch landmark projects centered around copyrighted cultural content and franchises, digital means, sustainability, smart technologies, culture and tourism, sports, and China-chic, among others, as well as by supporting the installation of innovative convenience facilities with integrated functions like process coordination and information verification. Subsidies of up to 20 million yuan will be given.

Third, support will be provided to boost departure tax refund sales. Qualified tax refund enterprises may each receive a quarterly reward of up to 1 million yuan.

(Source: People's Daily Online)