Recently, the provincial department of culture and tourism, together with the provincial commission of development and reform, and the provincial departments of public security, transport, and housing and urban-rural development, as well as the provincial data bureau, jointly issued the Several Measures to Enhance Smart and Convenient Tourism Services. The document introduces a range of initiatives across 10 areas, including ticket purchasing and reserving, luggage storage, transportation, senior-friendly and disability-friendly, foreign-language, and pet-friendly services.

The Measures requires accelerating efforts to ensure luggage storage at all 4A-rated and above tourist attractions, popular museums and cultural venues, and eligible key rural tourism villages, while adding more smart luggage storage facilities. Businesses are encouraged to establish smart luggage storage facilities at major transportation hubs, star-rated hotels, and other suitable locations, and to offer the “Travel Light” service, which allows visitors to have their luggage delivered directly to their destinations.

The Measures places particular emphasis on meeting the travel needs of senior visitors and people with disabilities. It calls on 4A-rated and above tourist attractions, four-star and above hotels, and major museums and cultural venues to retain traditional services, including in-person cash payments, staffed service counters, and green lanes. It also encourages the construction or renovation of facilities such as accessible ramps and unisex restrooms, and calls for standardized services such as wheelchair rentals, personal assistance, and visitor guidance. By the end of 2027, Jiangsu aims to develop more than 20 senior-friendly and disability-friendly tourism service scenarios.

To better accommodate inbound tourists, the Measures outlines improvements to multilingual signage and way-finding systems at 4A-rated and above tourist attractions, major museums and cultural venues, and leisure districts at the provincial level and above. It also proposes the introduction of multilingual self-service audio guide devices and the regular updating and enhancement of tour commentaries. In addition, Jiangsu will recruit more foreign-language guides and expand the range of foreign languages available, while supporting the establishment of foreign-language volunteer teams in partnership with universities, research institutes, and other institutions.