How does Shanghai become the “first stop of inbound tourism in China”? Let’s listen to their voices.

Shanghai, an important window for China to connect with the world, has always been one of the preferred destinations for foreign tourists entering China. In 2024, with the booming China travel market, tourists from Europe, America, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and other regions are flooding into Shanghai, and the number of inbound tourists received by Shanghai exceeded 6 million. Shanghai is deeply loved by overseas tourists for its friendly language environment, convenient tourism services, and intelligent scenes.

On January 16th, co-sponsored by Jiefang Daily and Shanghai Daily, the seminar on upgrading Shanghai’s inbound tourism consumption environment and international communication was held at Shanghai Press Group. Scholars and industry experts from universities, market entities, business and cultural tourism departments, as well as foreign friends studying and living in Shanghai,共同探讨 Shanghai 如何 better build the “first stop of China’s inbound tourism”.

Overseas tourists visit豫园 Fan Yanyan IP SHANGHAI

At the seminar, the “2024 Inbound Tourism ‘Advanced’ Report” (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”) released by Jiefang Daily Shangguan News Data Center analyzed the data from relevant departments and showed that in the first 11 months of 2024, the number of foreigners entering China from Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Tianjin reached 8.898 million person-times, an increase of 107.3% year-on-year, with an increase of 21.1 percentage points higher than the national average. Among them, as the “first stop of China’s inbound tourism”, Shanghai received more than 6 million inbound tourists in 2024, ranking first in the country’s airports.

The report analyzes that nearly half of the inbound tourists stay for less than 7 days, while 34% stay for more than 15 days. Tourists from North America and Oceania spend more than half of their stay over 15 days in Shanghai. Extending the length of stay allows foreign tourists to experience different natural and cultural charm more deeply, and also gives more local travel agencies and scenic spots the opportunity to improve their experience in receiving foreign tourists and share the benefits of inbound tourism. Shanghai needs to further play its advantages to promote inbound tourism to a new height and transform policy “flow” into development “retention”.

孙云龙,复旦大学旅游学系副主任，提出建议，文旅宣推主体的市场化定位可以更好地走近消费者，提供更为完善的市场服务。此外，上海的入境旅游宣推应完善跨部门协调的联席会议制度，明确各部门的职责和分工，加强信息共享和沟通，制定统一的规划和战略，确保决策的有效执行，积极引导社会参与，强调市场主体的作用，共同推动上海入境旅游的发展。

Some experts also suggested that Shanghai should capture the characteristics of experiential tourism for inbound tourists and enhance the persuasiveness and appeal of Chinese and Shanghai stories. Meanwhile, it should strengthen mutual learning and integration to enhance the sense of experience and gain for inbound tourists. It should also deepen the integration of culture, tourism, business, and exhibitions to amplify spillover effects and long-tail effects.

At the seminar, several foreign young people shared their personal experiences. A Korean girl named Zheng Zheng said that Korean tourists in Shanghai love to eat small steamed bun sandwiches, lamb skewers, Beijing roast duck, etc., although they are all Chinese delicacies; she still hopes to promote local special foods such as oily cakes and radish shreds.

Speaking of the unified tourist routes for Korean tourists, Zheng Zheng hoped that more compatriots could visit skyscrapers like the Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower to have more unique experiences in Shanghai like her.

In the eyes of Japanese illustrator Yu Yamashita, Shanghai is a sparkling city full of fashion and modernity. However, many Japanese tourists may not understand the historical and cultural background of Shanghai. As an illustrator herself, she will pass on the deep cultural atmosphere of Shanghai to her Japanese friends.

Liao Chengzu, a graduate student of International Relations at East China Normal University from Thailand, found that the most popular Shanghai landmarks among Thai tourists are Tian An Qian Tree. The strong atmosphere of animation and various fashion trends also deeply attract young people in Thailand. However, he discovered that some people smoke in public places even though there are smoking restrictions. He hoped that smoking points could be set up in Shanghai while better controlling smoking.

With the influx of inbound tourists, Shanghai’s many cultural tourism attractions, hotels, businesses and travel platforms have launched convenient services and rich consumer scenarios for foreign tourists. The Oriental Pearl Tower, one of the landmarks that attracts both domestic and foreign tourists, has also received many Korean and Southeast Asian tourists recently. General Manager Guo Yifeng said that Oriental Pearl welcomes about 7%-8% of foreign guests annually. It enhances marketing through short videos and live broadcasts by inviting overseas travel bloggers and cultural