International visitors explore Gulangyu Island. [Photo/Wechat account: visitxm]
In peak summer, Xiamen's cultural tourism market is thriving, with international tourists drawn to immersive Minnan cultural experiences and coastal leisure.
The city released the detailed rules for inbound tourism incentives, offering rewards up to 600,000 yuan ($83,843.4) to tourism businesses and professionals for attracting overseas visitors, further boosting Xiamen's global appeal.
Capitalizing on its diversity of regional tourism resources, Xiamen has partnered with Longyan, Sanming, and Nanping to launch multiple 240-hour visa-free transit tour routes. These integrated itineraries highlight multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Simultaneously, Xiamen has initiated a "240-hour visa-free transit tourism network" with eight key tourism cities including Guiyang, Guilin, and Shenyang. This cross-regional collaboration aims to develop more diversified connected tour products for international transit travelers.
As a must-visit destination for international travelers, Zhongshan Road has seen the establishment of a multilingual volunteer service team to help foreign visitors better understand Xiamen's stories. This initiative complements the city's broader efforts to upgrade its inbound tourism services while diversifying its cultural tourism products.
Xiamen has proactively enhanced its tourism services to better accommodate international visitors. Notably, the city partnered with Didi Chuxing to implement a full English interface and bilingual ride-hailing functions, ensuring seamless transportation for foreign passengers.
The dining sector has undergone major upgrades to make it more international, with major restaurants now offering bilingual menus and multilingual translation devices.
Additionally, Xiamen has expanded digital payment accessibility, enabling QR code payments for 234 overseas e-wallets, while ensuring all financial institutions provide small-change exchange services across the city.
China has launched a new pilot program to allow eligible enterprises greater access to overseas financing in support of green and low-carbon transformation projects, the country's foreign exchange regulator said on Aug 21.
To further streamline the experience, China is expanding tax refund stores, broadening the range of refundable goods, and refining refund procedures, ensuring an efficient and seamless shopping experience for global visitors.
