Jiangsu upgrades tourism services for international visitors

Jiangsu is stepping up efforts to improve the travel experience for international visitors under the Measures to Further Boost Inbound Tourism, recently issued by 10 provincial authorities led by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

Global Promotion

Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi and Yangzhou will serve as the province's four leading inbound tourism cities, with promotional efforts extending to other cities.

Jiangsu has identified South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Russia and Australia as six key source markets, while also expanding into markets in Europe, Americas and emerging markets. Targeted marketing campaigns will be developed for individual countries and regions.

The province will also invite overseas bloggers and travel influencers to take part in co-creation programs, while making use of the visibility of international artists performing in Jiangsu to promote local cultural and tourism attractions through visits and social media content.

Getting to Jiangsu

In addition to its existing international airports, Jiangsu will set up inbound tourism service centers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport to serve international visitors arriving through the two major hubs.

Airports, airlines and travel agencies will be encouraged to work together on targeted marketing in cities served by international flights.

The province will also promote connections between Nanjing, Suzhou, Yancheng and other Jiangsu cities and popular inbound tourism destinations such as Zhangjiajie, Guilin and Qingdao. It will develop multi-destination itineraries covering more than one city.

The province will also encourage airlines to increase capacity and maintain existing intercontinental routes while adding services to Southeast Asian RCEP countries and key countries involved in industrial cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Support will also be given to the development of China-ROK passenger and cargo ferry services in Lianyungang.

Traveling light will also become easier. Jiangsu plans to expand luggage delivery services through courier companies and promote China Railway Express's Travel Light service, allowing luggage to be transferred between ports of entry, high-speed rail stations and hotels.

Visitor Services

Jiangsu will improve multilingual signage at major cultural and tourism venues, transport hubs and medical institutions. The province also plans full coverage of multilingual smart audio guides, multilingual ticketing terminals, payment service points and SIM card outlets at its 5A-rated tourist attractions, five-star hotels and popular museums.

Online and offline ticketing and reservation channels will be upgraded. Tourist attractions rated 4A and above and popular museums across the province will develop easy, barrier-free reservation channels for both organized groups and individual visitors.

The measures also call for stronger market regulation and visitor services. Multilingual consultation, complaint and assistance channels will be expanded, while more guides with less commonly spoken foreign languages will be trained. The range of foreign languages covered by tour guide qualification examinations will be expanded as needed. Volunteer teams will also be formed through local universities to help create a safe and well-organized environment for inbound tourists

Tourism Events & Products

Jiangsu will cultivate a number of key consumption venues and distinctive stores for inbound tourists, while developing a range of branded cultural performances, sporting events and other activities.

Working with online travel agencies and leading travel companies in China and abroad, the province will develop high-quality tour products and launch an international section on Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism's Charm of Jiangsu platform.

Cities across the province will also roll out special offers for international visitors, including flight-and-tourism packages, admission discounts and cultural and tourism consumption vouchers.

To make travel within Jiangsu more convenient, the province will draw on the experience of Nanjing's inbound tourist phone plans and Suzhou's Suzhou Pass to develop integrated digital tourism products, offering all-in-one package to cover travel, accommodation, dining, sightseeing and shopping.

Local governments will also be supported in developing connecting flight products and air-rail services, while procedures for high-speed rail ticket purchases, identity checks and transfers for international visitors will be simplified. Services for organized tour groups, including station access and transfers, will also be improved.

Payment & Shopping

Convenient payment is another key focus. Jiangsu will improve payment services for international visitors, encouraging major merchants to accept a range of payment methods, including overseas bank cards, mobile payments, digital yuan and cash. The province will also expand the number of merchants accepting digital yuan.

Five-star hotels will provide foreign-currency exchange services, while airports, hotels and other locations will install self-service machines for issuing digital yuan wallets.

Tax-free shopping and tax refunds will also be made more convenient. Jiangsu will support the development of distinctive duty-free stores featuring popular Chinese products and work with e-commerce platforms to establish online stores eligible for departure tax refunds.

Tax-refund and international express delivery services will be available in major commercial areas and hotels. Each city in the province will establish at least one distinctive departure tax-refund shopping district or commercial area. By the end of 2026, the number of departure tax-refund stores across Jiangsu is expected to reach 1,400.

The province will also make it easier for visitors to claim an immediate tax refund at the point of purchase across participating locations within the province and extend the departure deadline for such refunds to 28 days. Digital yuan wallets will be promoted, and applications for using them to process departure tax refunds on personal purchases will be accelerated.

Source and photos: Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism