Since this year, thanks to foreigner-friendly policies such as 144-hour visa-free transit, Shanghai has seen a steady rise in inbound travelers.

In the first nine months of 2024, over 12 million inbound tourists arrived in Shanghai, a year-on-year increase of 107 percent. To facilitate a smooth travel experience for international tourists, Shanghai has set up one-stop service stations at Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport.

The stations run 24/7, providing services including purchasing local SIM cards, cash exchange, mobile payment consultation, and transportation pass sale.

To alleviate some of the headaches in the daily lives of foreign residents, Shanghai has been committed to improving expat-related services in various scenarios, including payment, accommodation, healthcare, and transportation.

To help expats who are not accustomed to the ubiquitous mobile payments in China, the city has installed a total of 70,000 terminals that can process transactions with foreign bank cards in scenarios such as dining, accommodation, tourism, and shopping.

The city has also pushed hotels to open online reservations for foreign visitors and provided guidance for smaller hotels regarding the reception of foreign travelers.

Moreover, Shanghai has made efforts to facilitate the use of passports in reservation and ticket buying at tourism attractions, and to expand bilingual ticketing services. To cater to foreign visitors, currently, most major tourist attractions in the city that are free of charge no longer require reservation.

As for transportation, Shanghai has rolled out the English version of the "Suishenxing" app, which offers schedules and real time updates for major transportation services, including metro, bus, and ferry. The app supports multiple mobile payment services.

Sources: CCTV, Xinhua News Agency