A major consumption promotion campaign for foreigners organized by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will soon launch simultaneously with the fifth China International Consumer Products Expo, which will kick off on April 13, 2025.
Currently, various consumption scenarios, including the first-launch economy, intangible cultural heritage markets, immersive cultural tourism, trendy toy stores, and creative cafes, are rapidly evolving with renewed appeal, said Li Gang, director general of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion of the MOFCOM.
Foreign tourists dine at a restaurant in an ancient town in Ninghai county, Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang Province.
The series of activities will create more consumption scenarios integrating commerce, tourism, culture, sports, and health, Li added.
The series of activities will focus on four major areas: boutique shopping, exquisite food, wonderful tourism, and great performances, aiming to create innovative and diverse consumption scenarios while building an internationally friendly consumer environment.
This year, key commercial districts, pedestrian streets, shopping malls, supermarkets, outlets, and leading enterprises will offer promotions and launch new and premium products to attract foreign consumers.
China will increase the number of departure tax refund stores and provide improved departure tax refund services this year, which means that foreigners can get their tax refunds more efficiently, said a foreign employee of a foreign-funded enterprise in China.
More food related activities including food markets, culinary exchanges, and food ingredient expos, along with various food rankings, food maps and famous restaurants, will give both domestic and international consumers greater confidence in exploring cuisines.
Additionally, more premium travel routes and products including city walks, long-term travel, leisure tourism, inbound tourism, wellness tourism, cruise tourism, and tourist train journeys will be introduced to help foreign tourists immerse themselves in China.
In terms of quality performances, China will continue to introduce and support domestic and international artistic performances, high-level sporting events, and high-quality cultural exhibitions.
A foreigner pays by card at a pharmacy in Tongling, east China’s Anhui Province.
China is opening its door even wider to the world, which is the fundamental reason for the strong appeal of China’s consumer market.
In recent years, China has continuously expanded the coverage of its unilateral visa-free entry policy and extended the transit visa-free period to 240 hours for 54 countries, fueling the continued growth of inbound tourism.
By the end of last year, China had implemented the unilateral visa-free entry policy for 38 countries and established comprehensive mutual visa exemption agreements with 25 countries.
Li said that the consumption promotion campaign will allow more domestic and international consumers to experience its unique charm while enabling companies from around the world to share in the vast development opportunities of China’s consumer market.
China will continue to optimize entry policies this year, expand the coverage of its unilateral visa-free policy in an orderly manner, and enhance the effectiveness of visa-free transit policies for foreigners.
Meanwhile, the country will streamline its entry clearance procedures for foreigners, with a comprehensive package of services including entry service guides, communication services, foreign currency exchange, and mobile payment services being offered in arrival areas.
To facilitate consumption by foreign nationals in China, the country will also improve its multi-level, diversified payment service system, encouraging more merchants to enable acceptance of foreign bank cards, and supporting the use of more overseas e-wallets domestically.
The MOFCOM has specified that this year it will develop international consumption clusters and inbound tourism-friendly commercial districts, improve multilingual signage and guidance facilities in public spaces, and establish service hotlines for foreign nationals.
International consumption center cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou will continue to play their roles in driving consumption by strengthening the first-launch economy, adding direct international flight routes, implementing policies for their duty-free shops, and optimizing approval processes for commercial performances.
Focusing on service consumption, Beijing will promote enhanced consumer experiences in culture, entertainment, tourism, sports, beauty and health, and household services sectors.
The capital city is striving to turn itself into a hub of performing arts and a city of museums, facilitate the growth of the concert economy, advance the construction of major projects including the second phase of Universal Resort Beijing, and promote the development of e-sports and winter sports. It has introduced a range of measures to boost consumption so far this year.
Li noted that the MOFCOM will focus on new growth points like green development, intelligent development, health, culture and tourism to organize the series of activities.
China’s consumer market is still highly resilient and has great potential and vitality, and its recovery momentum remains strong. With the continued implementation of various consumption promotion policies and measures and the orderly development of the series of activities, this year’s consumer market will continue to grow steadily, Li added.
