Simplified entry, refunds draw shoppers

BEIJING — Park Eun Jeong, a 46-year-old visitor from the Republic of Korea, wrapped up her recent trip to China by securing tax refunds for two purchases at an airport in Shanghai — a peony-and-butterfly shawl and a hand-embroidered silk scarf — in less than 15 minutes.

"The whole process was very smooth. Quite a few people were waiting for manual refunds, so I chose a self-service machine instead," Park said.

She scanned her passport and shopping receipts, followed the on-screen prompts, and watched the system swiftly complete the verification. Within minutes, the refund was transferred directly to her WeChat Pay account.

Park is among a growing number of foreign tourists benefiting from China's policy push to improve the shopping experience. Fueled by the expansion of visa-free entry policies and the refinement of departure tax refund services, enthusiasm for both "China travel" and "China shopping" has continued to grow.

During the recent New Year holiday, ticket bookings for tourist attractions by inbound visitors jumped 110 percent year-on-year, said Chinese travel platform Trip.com Group. Data from the National Immigration Administration showed that during the holiday, cross-border trips by foreign visitors grew by 29.8 percent from the 2025 figure to reach 828,000.

Beyond immersive experiences of the country's natural scenery and cultural appeal, shopping in China is increasingly becoming an integral part of overseas visitors' travel itineraries. The resulting surge in inbound consumption underscores China's growing openness and the appeal of its cities, injecting new momentum into economic growth.