A poster of the 2024 "55@Shanghai, Destination of Shopping" is illuminated on a Shanghai pedestrian street. [Photo/thepaper.cn]

Shanghai launched the 2024 55@Shanghai, Destination of Shopping global promotion on May 8 as part of the city's endeavor to become an international consumer hub. The event, aimed at continually attracting and expanding foreign consumption, will provide consumers with a more diverse range of products, higher-quality services, and a multitude of consumption scenarios, according to the municipal government, the event's organizer.

The 55@Shanghai handbook was unveiled to a global audience at the launch ceremony. This handbook encapsulates the city's highlights, such as convenient payment options, diverse experiential scenes, city walk routes, popular exhibition events, and more. It features over 1,000 unique hotspots, more than 100 experiential locations for business and leisure, and more than 10 international shopping malls, encompassing the finest local recommendations for dining, accommodation, transportation, entertainment, and shopping, thereby promoting the seamless integration of Shanghai's business, leisure, cultural, and sports brands.

Fourteen shopping malls, including the L'Avenue, Takashimaya Department Store, Shanghai Jiuguang Center, Shanghai Florentia Village, the Golden Center, Shanghai Bicester Village, and Global Harbor, were awarded the title of 55@Shanghai international shopping malls. These malls are actively rolling out various international services, such as tax refunds for departing travelers, multilingual services, and international payment facilities.

Strategic partners such as the Bank of China, China UnionPay, China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airport Group, and Ctrip also unveiled activities related to "Love Shopping Shanghai".

Fifteen enterprises, including Bailian Group, Shanghai Metro, the Foreign Investment Association, Shanghai Design Week, Tencent Group, and Meituan, were also awarded as the event's global promotion partners. These partners will further strengthen domestic and international publicity efforts to attract travelers from around the world to Shanghai to experience the "Love Shopping Shanghai" series of activities, according to the municipal government.

Sources: thepaper.cn, "scofcom" WeChat account