Promote the optimization of entry experience for convenient services such as payment, accommodation, and park entry
In recent years, with the recovery of the global tourism market, China's inbound tourism has ushered in a new round of growth. However, problems such as inconvenience in payment, difficulty in booking accommodation, and cumbersome entry procedures for scenic spots still restrict the experience of foreign tourists. To this end, all parts of the country are actively introducing facilitation measures to optimize inbound tourism services. This article combines hot topics on the Internet for the past 10 days to sort out the pain points and solutions of inbound tourism, and presents relevant progress with structured data.
1. Payment facilitation: Open up the "last mile" of wild card payment
According to data from the People's Bank of China, as of June 2024, the coverage rate of wild card acceptance merchants nationwide has increased to 80%, but the actual usage rate is still less than 30%. The main problems are concentrated in the areas of high handling fees and poor terminal compatibility. The following is the recent wild card payment coverage in key cities:
| City | Percentage of wild card acceptance merchants | Mainstream support card types | Processing fee scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 85% | Visa/MasterCard/Amex | 1.5%-3% |
| Shanghai | 92% | Visa/JCB/UnionPay International | 1.2%-2.8% |
| Guangzhou | 78% | MasterCard/Diners Club | 1.8%-3.5% |
2. Accommodation booking optimization: multilingual platform coverage improvement
According to data from Ctrip International Edition, the number of hotels that support English bookings in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 47% year-on-year, but small-language services are still insufficient. Some cities have piloted the launch of the "foreign-related service certification" system:
| Service certification level | Language requirements | Payment method | Currently the number of hotels meet the standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Stars | English + 1 foreign language | Supports wild card | 12,800 |
| Four-star rating | English + 2 foreign languages | Wild card + electronic wallet | 5,200 |
| Five-star | Multilingual 24-hour service | Omnichannel payment | 1,050 |
3. Reform of scenic spot entry: pilot project of electronic visa linkage
The latest announcement from the National Immigration Administration shows that 21 5A-level scenic spots have already achieved direct entry of electronic visas. The following are the key data of the pilot scenic spots:
| Scenic Area Name | Electronic visa verification time | Foreign Language Guide Coverage | Visitor satisfaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palace Museum | ≤15 seconds | 100% | 98.2% |
| Huangshan Scenic Area | ≤20 seconds | 85% | 95.7% |
| Wulingyuan, Zhangjiajie | ≤25 seconds | 76% | 93.4% |
4. Future Outlook: Build a "seamless connection" service system
According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "Action Plan for Facilitation of Inbound Tourism", three major breakthroughs will be achieved by 2025: 1) 100% support for electronic ticketing in scenic spots above 4A in the country; 2) 100% coverage rate of wild card POS machines in key areas such as airports; 3) Cultivate 100,000 multilingual service specialists. The current progress is as follows:
| index | Target value | Current completion degree | Focus on promoting areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Ticketing System | 100% | 67% | Yangtze River Delta/Pearl River Delta |
| Wild card terminal | 100% | 83% | International Airport/High-speed rail station |
| Talent training | 100,000 people | 42,000 people | Foreign-related hotels/travel agencies |
With the implementation of these measures, China's inbound tourism services are shifting from "usable" to "easy to use". The next step is to focus on the needs of tourists of small languages, simplify the tax refund process, strengthen the interconnection of international payment systems, and truly realize the convenient experience of "traveling to China with one mobile phone".
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