Walking through the antique shops on Guanqian Street in Suzhou, Jiangsu, French tourist Dean's suitcase is packed with Hanfu, embroidered scarves, handmade tea sets, and a new smartphone. This is already my second time coming to China to 'shop', and every time I feel like I can't buy enough. With the continuous rise of 'China Tour', more and more foreign tourists are coming to China specifically to buy from Beijing Xiushui Street to Yiwu International Trade City, from Hainan Duty Free Store to Shenzhen Huaqiangbei. What kind of attraction does' China Buy 'hide? On May 2, in the Chiba Glasses flagship store located in the Monument to the people's Liberation Business District, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, customers were shopping in the store. Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Wei took a photo of an empty box and said, 'You must bring an empty box to China!'! ”This practical tip has recently sparked discussions on overseas social media platforms. From "China Travel" to "China Shopping", it is a new trend for foreigners to buy in China. According to the data of the National Migration Administration, 1.115 million foreigners entered and exited the country during the May Day holiday this year, up 43.1% year on year. Many taxi drivers in Shanghai have noticed that with the increasing number of foreign tourists, their suitcases are also getting bigger. Data shows that from April 30th to May 4th, overseas consumption in Shanghai reached 455 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 211.6%. Look at this wallet, every pattern is hand embroidered. ”On overseas video platforms, blogger Sarah from South Africa shared her recent gains from her trip to China with netizens, saying, "And this thermos that can automatically brew tea, the design is amazing!" Some overseas consumers even formed "purchasing groups" to specifically fly to China to purchase popular products. On social media, a blogger has launched an invitation for "mutual assistance purchasing": "If you go to China this week, help me purchase something for you. Next time, I will help you with it." According to statistics, the scale of "buy and refund" tax refunds processed in 10 pilot areas last year increased by 22 times year-on-year, which is 18 times the year-on-year growth rate of the national outbound tax refund scale. From Made in China to "Smart Manufacturing" in China, the shopping preferences of foreign tourists are also quietly changing. I used to buy small dolls and cheap commemorative shirts, but now I want to bring back something unique. ”Dean said that silk products, ceramics, and Hanfu occupy important positions on his shopping list, while smart products are a must-have option. The quality, design, and iteration speed of Chinese products are amazing. According to payment platform data, the proportion of local supermarkets, trendy cultural and creative industries, and specialty foods among foreign tourists' consumption in China has significantly increased. Why has tourism 'traffic' turned into consumption 'retention' and 'Chinese shopping' become popular? Affordable and convenient are important factors in attracting foreign tourists to come to China for shopping. How much money can I save on shopping in China? At Deji Square in Nanjing, Italian tourist Marino received nearly 1000 yuan in tax refunds through the "buy and refund" service, and then turned around to purchase a set of pajamas without leaving the store. With just a few steps of operation on my phone, it's super convenient and makes me want to buy more specialty products, "said Chen Youping, the financial director of a shopping mall in Wuxi. According to the 11% tax rebate rate and a 2% handling fee, foreign tourists can save 900 yuan by consuming 10000 yuan worth of goods. For consumers who purchase luxury goods, high-end electronic products, and other goods, this is particularly attractive and conducive to stimulating further consumption. The continued relaxation of visa free policies has made it easier for "China travel" to be transformed into "China shopping". According to the data released by the National Migration Administration on April 15, since the implementation of the 240 hour transit visa free policy, the number of inbound foreigners has increased by 40.2% year on year, of which 71.3% are visa free. If you can stay longer, you can go to more nearby cities, so naturally you have to buy things. ”Marino said. Many tourists from neighboring countries are enthusiastic about shopping in China. In South Korea, some young consumers have even sparked a short distance shopping trend of "flying to China after work on Fridays". On April 29th, an inbound tourist collected their tax refund at the centralized tax refund service point in Zhangyuan, Shanghai. Recently, the Ministry of Commerce and other departments have also launched a series of facilitation measures, such as reducing the minimum refund point for departure tax refunds from 500 yuan to 200 yuan, increasing the cash tax refund limit to 20000 yuan, setting up tax refund stores in overseas tourist gathering places, and promoting the "buy and refund" service measures nationwide. Song Xiangqing, Vice President of the Chinese Society of Business Economics, believes that a series of optimization policies have enriched the consumption scene and alleviated the problem of insufficient and uneven distribution of tax refund stores. At the same time, it further lowers the shopping threshold and stimulates foreign tourists to engage in more "casual buying" and "multiple buying" consumption behaviors. The coverage of POS machines with foreign cards has increased, and the capabilities of Alipay, WeChat and other mobile payments such as "internal binding of foreign cards" and "internal use of outsourcing" have continued to iterate, enabling many regions to achieve "touch" payment. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other places have also launched multilingual tax refund guides and electronic maps, allowing foreign tourists to "buy with confidence and refund with ease". The "shopping cart" of foreign tourists also reflects the global competitiveness of "Made in China". Zhang Chunlong, Director of the Institute of Social Policy at Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the increasing high-tech content of Chinese products and the continuous improvement of manufacturing supply chains have made many domestic brands increasingly attractive in the global market. High quality and high cost-effectiveness promote foreign tourists to continue to come to China to 'shop for good things'. Optimizing the consumption environment to make global tourists' frequent visits and purchases' and' Chinese purchases' reflect the strong resilience and development potential of China's economy. Song Xiangqing pointed out that in 2024, China's inbound consumption will account for about 0.5% of GDP, which is still lagging behind the level of 1% to 3% of major countries in the world; If it is increased to 1% of GDP, it can drive an additional consumption scale of over one trillion yuan. The interviewee suggested that it is necessary to seize the trend of inbound consumption and take proactive measures to actively create a consumption attraction field for global tourists who "don't want to leave when they come, and still want to come when they leave". A mall manager suggested that the tax refund label is a "certification" for international consumption, and more tax credit enterprises of different levels should be encouraged to apply for exit tax refunds and "buy and refund" stores. At present, many duty-free shops still mainly sell imported goods, which can encourage more high-quality domestic products to enter the store and provide more consumption choices for overseas tourists. Zhang Chunlong stated that various regions can utilize visa free policies to integrate fragmented inbound tourism scenarios, such as through "traveling by high-speed rail" and coordinating resources between cities to launch "multi stop" boutique routes. At the same time, we will create a comprehensive consumption scene that integrates tourism, shopping, culture, sports, and health, encouraging tourists to deeply experience the local way of life. Zhou Zhanfeng, Director of the European Market Department of China International Travel Service Co., Ltd., believes that the popular "street vendor economy" among inbound tourists cannot be ignored. The bustling commercial atmosphere of night markets, markets, clothing stalls, and agricultural markets can make more overseas tourists willing to stay or even reluctant to leave. Supporting services also need to be further refined. Zhou Zhanfeng suggested that, on the one hand, the ability of multilingual services and digital navigation could be improved, and on the other hand, an Internet platform for service consumption could be built to link service ports such as travel, takeout and movie watching with one click, so as to meet the consumption experience in a one-stop manner. At the same time, we must seriously investigate and punish behaviors such as price gouging, unlicensed operation, and counterfeiting and selling. Wang Xu, a senior researcher at Hualue Think Tank, believes that the current dissemination methods such as internet celebrity bloggers and international tourists' travel guides have led to a gradual convergence of destination and consumption preferences among many tourists. Domestic brands should be encouraged to open "overseas first stores", and all parties should fully utilize the "catalyst" effect, accurately formulate marketing strategies, and attract more foreign tourists to "come and buy frequently". (New Society)