Yiwu, known as the world's largest hub for small commodities, located in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province, has experienced a surge in inbound tourism this summer.
Around 1 pm on Aug 16, a flight from Guangzhou landed at Yiwu Airport, with one-third of its passengers being foreigners, many of whom were visiting the "World Supermarket" for the first time.
As China expands its visa-free arrangements, inbound travel has become more accessible, attracting international buyers who combine business with leisure shopping.
Yiwu Airport reported a sharp rise in foreign arrivals on Aug 18. For instance, the Yiwu-Guangzhou route carried fewer than 10,000 foreign passenger trips in July of last year, but 25,700 this July, a rise of more than 260 percent.
A buyer inquires about products at Yiwu International Trade Market. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]
Yiwu International Trade Market is the main destination for visitors. With 75,000 booths offering over 2.1 million kinds of products across 26 categories, it attracts over 3,000 foreign buyers daily.
In addition to business, international visitors enjoy shopping in Yiwu. They visit night markets for daily items and local food and go to departure tax refund stores to buy gifts for family and friends.
To meet the growing demand, Yiwu has increased the number of departure tax refund stores from seven to 37 this year, 26 of which offer "refund-upon-purchase" services. The local tax bureau has also issued multilingual guides to make the policies more accessible and understandable for inbound tourists.
