From convenient customs clearance at the airport to the maritime beer festival and virtual reality shows at the Olympic Sailing Center, Qingdao has attracted a multitude of foreign tourists this year through efforts in payment facilitation and product development.
Optimizing Customs Clearance and Transportation Services
As more overseas tourist groups arrive, Qingdao is continuously improving customs clearance efficiency and optimizing transportation services to ensure a smooth visitor experience.
The airport has implemented several measures to create an efficient and seamless custom clearance environment. The airport's comprehensive service center also provides convenience for inbound travelers. Its payment service area has served over 3,700 people, processed more than 1,500 cash withdrawals with foreign cards, and handled over 900 foreign currency exchanges. "It's very convenient to exchange RMB at the airport, and the staff's service attitude is excellent. This has been a wonderful travel experience," said Park Ji-hwa, a tourist from Incheon, South Korea.
To facilitate the travel of foreign visitors, Qingdao Metro offers multilingual services and ticketing guidance at multiple stations and has equipped major stations with real-time smart translation devices.
Dense cruise routes have made Qingdao a popular choice for cross-border tourism. The cruise port is expected to receive over 30 cruise calls this year. Relevant departments have optimized clearance processes, enhanced traffic management, and launched six distinctive shore excursion routes connecting attractions like the Olympic Sailing Center, Laoshan Mountain, Zhanqiao Pier, and the Tsingtao Beer Museum, allowing foreign tourists to deeply experience Qingdao's history, culture, and urban charm.
Creating an International-Friendly Consumption Environment
Qingdao is committed to building an international-friendly consumption environment by expanding the supply of high-quality goods and services and innovating consumer scenarios.
Currently, more than 5,000 key merchants across the city accept foreign bank cards, and 2,480 ATMs support cash withdrawals with foreign cards.
The number of departure tax refund stores has increased to 71, covering major business districts and cultural and tourism landmarks.
According to a staff member at the Tsingtao Beer Museum, from January to October this year, the museum received over 200,000 foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 70%. Tax-refundable products such as beer nuts and unfiltered beer are very popular among foreign visitors. The museum also offers multilingual tours and international payment systems.
Recently, a downtown duty-free shop opened, featuring over 100 international brands and creating a "duty-free + tax refund" consumption ecosystem.
The century-old Taidong Pedestrian Street is a popular spot for foreign tourists. The entire area has full free Wi-Fi coverage and multilingual signage. Visitors can taste local delicacies, participate in intangible cultural heritage experiences, and most businesses support various international payment methods.
Enriching Culture-Tourism Integration Scenarios
"I had tried Tsingtao beer before I came. But after arriving here, the beer festival is simply an ocean of beer, which has been a real eye-opener for me!" said a tourist from Azerbaijan.
Featuring "beer + tourism," Qingdao has launched various themed products and boutique routes. For different markets, specialized tours like "health and wellness vacation + intangible cultural heritage experience" have also been developed.
This summer, the 35th Qingdao International Beer Festival was successfully held, bringing together over 2,300 beer brands from nearly 50 countries and regions, with multiple themed areas and international performances. During the event, the three main venues received a total of about 22.48 million visitors, with sales of departure tax refund goods reaching 18.87 million yuan.
A special experience event for Korean tourists was also held during the festival, using beer as a medium to build a bridge for cultural exchange and tourism cooperation. "I came especially to drink authentic Tsingtao beer, and I will strongly recommend it to my friends when I go back!" said a Korean tourist.
Another event, "SCO Week," was also bustling in the West Coast New Area. A special market featured goods from various countries and included cultural and creative zones and intangible cultural heritage experience areas, allowing tourists to have an in-depth experience from "consumption" to "culture."
Through policy innovation, scenario integration, and cultural empowerment, Qingdao is building an all-encompassing international cultural and tourism consumption ecosystem covering dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment. In the first three quarters of this year, the city received 442,000 inbound foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 43.5%. In the future, Qingdao will continue to optimize inbound tourism services to make it more convenient, enjoyable, and affordable for foreign tourists.
(By Xiao Xiangbo)
Editor: Yuan Ruichen
