Shanghai launches summer shopping season to boost inbound tourism

Shanghai launched its 2025 Shanghai Summer International Consumption Season in the Xuhui district on July 4, aiming to attract global visitors and revitalize the city's tourism sector.

The initiative focuses on creating a vibrant summer experience for tourists, with an emphasis on ease of access, entertainment, and shopping.

The first half of the year witnessed a surge in inbound tourism, as the city welcomed nearly 4.25 million international visitors, marking a 38.5 percent year-on-year increase.

The campaign will tailor activities and products to cater to tourists from various regions, including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States.

Shanghai is working to enhance convenience and benefits for inbound tourists. On the travel front, China Eastern Airlines is offering over one million discounted tickets for domestic and international passengers.

Transport company Didi's Shanghai Summer ride-hailing program provides over one million coupons. Navigation apps such as Amap and HiChina are offering multilingual support, including in English, French, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish, to make it easier for tourists to navigate the city.

Additionally, taxi operator Dazhong Transportation will equip its vehicles with foreign credit card point-of-sale machines, enabling seamless payment for international visitors.

Such services and benefits are accessible through Easy Go, a comprehensive digital platform integrating all-sided services for international visitors during their stay in Shanghai. Operating on popular Chinese online payment tool Alipay, the English-language platform supports real-time translation in 14 languages to serve visitors from across the globe.

To ensure entertainment, Shanghai is hosting 10 signature events and a variety of customized activities. In July and August, the focus will be on summer vacations and family-friendly activities, including Lego's World Play Day and summer events at Shanghai Disney Resort.

The Shanghai Summer International Animation Month, encompassing events including CCG Expo, Bilibili World, and ChinaJoy, also runs in July and August.

September and October will shift to cultural and sports tourism, with events such as the Shanghai International Light Festival, Shanghai Fashion Week, the World Rowing Championships, and tennis’s ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters.

Other initiatives aim to establish Shanghai as a shopping paradise, including promoting local products through events like Pop Mart's Art Toy summer IP event and collaborations with established local brands.

The city is also offering services related to tax refunds for tourists. The initiative will provide tax refund guides in 14 languages and enable payment refunds via Alipay.

Luo Bin contributed to this story.