The Measures to Further Boost Inbound Tourism Consumption was recently issued by Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, together with 10 authorities including the financial, transportation, commercial departments and foreign affairs office. The document outlined 10 pragmatic measures on inbound tourism facilitation and service improvement for visitors from across the world.

To better tap the potential of source markets, Jiangsu sets up a 6+3+N marketing system, prioritizing six countries including the ROK, Malaysia, and Singapore and three key markets—Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and designing tailor-made marketing plans for long-haul markets in Europe and the Americas as well as emerging source markets. A province-wide publicity campaign is underway to better present Jiangsu’s signature tourism destinations to global visitors, with Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Yangzhou playing the leading role. Jiangsu will set up inbound tourism service centers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to accommodate spillover passenger flows. Cities in Jiangsu are encouraged to cooperate with popular domestic destinations to design multi-stop interprovincial routes. Support will be given to the development of China-ROK passenger-cargo liners in Lianyungang.

Service facilitation is at the top of the agenda. All 5A-level attractions, five-star hotels, and popular museums in Jiangsu will be equipped with multilingual guide systems, ticketing terminals, and payment service facilities. Reservations for scenic spots at 4A-level and above, as well as must-see museums, will be accessible to overseas visitors. An integrated digital product offering transportation, hotel and scenic spot reservation, and payment services will be developed, which will undoubtedly make train ticket purchase and transfer easier for inbound tourists. Payment and tax refund services will be further improved. Major shops will support multiple payment methods from bank cards and mobile payments to digital renminbi and cash. The acceptance of digital renminbi will expand and all five-star hotels will offer foreign currency exchange services. Each prefecture-level city is required to develop at least one business district of shops with tax refund services, as the province aims to increase the number of shops with tax refund services to 1,400 by the end of 2026.