China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Payment innovations provide convenience for international visitors
With the recovery of the global tourism industry and mutual visa exemption between China and multiple countries, more overseas tourists are choosing China as their travel destination.
Data show that inbound travel orders during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday increased more than 10 fold year-on-year. The rise in the number of overseas tourists has also brought new challenges, with differences in payment habits and methods being an urgent issue to be addressed.
Easier payment
As Chengdu, capital city of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, increases its openness to the outside world, more foreign tourists are visiting the city. To further enhance the internationalization of consumer services and optimize the environment for foreignrelated payments, the Sichuan provincial department of commerce, Chengdu bureau of commerce, Chengdu local financial administration, and the business management department of the Sichuan branch of the People’s Bank of China jointly released the Guide to Payment Services for International Visitors in Chengdu on March 16.
It introduces five payment methods — swiping foreign bank cards, mobile payment, renminbi cash, digital RMB and domestic bank card swiping.
It also provides information on the foreign currency exchange points at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, 19 hotels that provide currency exchange services, 18 demonstration bank branches for foreign currency cash exchange, and 157 key bank branches for foreigners to open accounts.
It specifically issued guidelines on mobile payment services, welcoming and encouraging international guests to use mobile payment methods, including Alipay and WeChat Pay, just like local residents to make their time in Chengdu more enjoyable.
Chengdu is home to a number of important international events this year, including the 110th China Food and Drinks Fair that kicked off on Wednesday, the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 that is planned to start in April, and the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals that will kick off on April 27.
Chengdu prides itself on being a warm and welcoming city for guests from across the world and is developing itself into an international consumer center that embodies the Tianfu culture — the manifestation of Chengdu’s mainstream urban values, highlights its traits as a park city and leads international fashion, with a focus on strengthening its position as an international gateway hub, nurturing new-type platforms for consumers and building an international consumer destination.
International guests can scan codes to obtain the payment service guidelines at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, key business areas, pedestrian streets, popular tourist attractions and the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 venues.
In February, the Chunxi Road business area cooperated with Alipay to release a map of convenient cross-border payment scenes. More than 1,500 point-ofsale machines in the business area can accept foreign cards, covering major businesses such as large commercial complexes, tax refund shops, and star-rated hotels. Additionally, there are 40 commercial bank branches and six hotels in the area where currency can be exchanged, facilitating RMB cash withdrawal and usage.
During the Chengdu FISU World University Games held in 2023, the city and Alipay launched and promoted innovative payment services nationwide. Representatives from the Chengdu bureau of commerce said that after the event, Chengdu continued to improve the level of payment services, optimizing card swiping payments, promoting mobile payments and guaranteeing cash payments.
It also pushed forward the complementary development of various payment methods in key business zones and pedestrian streets, such as Chunxi Road and Kuanzhai Alley, to allow the elderly and foreigners to experience safer and more convenient payment options in Chengdu.
Spurring potential
In 2023, Chengdu’s consumption surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($138.9 billion) for the first time. Behind this milestone are Chengdu’s efforts to build itself into an international consumer center.
Chengdu has historically thrived in commerce, and will have more possibilities for expanding consumption. Diverse new consumption scenarios are emerging there.
The city hosted the 110th China Food and Drinks Fair from Wednesday to Friday and plans to hold the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 from April to October and the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals from April 27 to May 5.
Large competitions and exhibitions are effective tools for enhancing a city’s popularity, stimulating consumption and promoting infrastructure construction. During the exhibitions and other events, Chengdu will offer different consumption scenarios for worldwide guests.
During the 110th China Food and Drinks Fair, Chengdu gathered industry resources such as food associations, bars and retailers to launch a consumer resource package. This year, Chengdu will use a new urban consumer brand to create a lifestyle aesthetic and increase consumers’ enthusiasm.
To facilitate international tourists and exhibitors, Chengdu has launched a map for overseas tourists’
shopping tax refunds, a map for cross-border payment convenience in business zones, and announced 274 tax refund shops.
Representatives from the Chengdu’s bureau of commerce said that it will increase the number of businesses, which can accept foreign cards, in key commercial areas, popular tourist attractions, airports and stations, expand international payment application scenarios and provide convenient and comfortable experiences for inbound consumers.
For Chengdu itself, developing into an international consumer center is beneficial for expanding the scale of consumption, consolidating and enhancing the positive trend of economic recovery, and providing higher-quality and more convenient products and services for the city’s residents. It also helps in forming a higher-level dynamic balance of “demand driving supply, and supply creating demand”, enhancing international influence and reputation.