Events + performances + entertainment: one-stop fun packages drive new growth in inbound consumption.

In the first half of this year, Shanghai's cultural and tourism market continued to release vitality, receiving a total of 313 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 17.60%, and the city's total cultural and tourism consumption reached 543.326 billion yuan. To enrich the summer tourism market, from July 8 to August 31, Shanghai will launch the "Summer Tourism Season," offering a total of 170 high-quality cultural and tourism products. At the same time, cultural and tourism combo tickets will officially go on sale on July 8 via the "Huxiaoyou" mini-program, helping citizens and tourists enjoy a smooth tour of Shanghai.

The inbound cultural and tourism market is booming

Multi-formats promote "in-depth travel"

This summer, Shanghai's inbound tourism market continues to heat up. This summer, what ways can foreign tourists check in Shanghai?

Shanghai's Wukang Road area is the first stop for many foreign tourists to check in Shanghai. This historic street block gathers international trendy pop-up stores and local Chinese-style original boutique shops. In recent days, several domestic and foreign brand flagship stores have been concentrated here.

At Yu Garden, classical garden architecture and local snack markets form the core hub for foreign tourists to experience traditional Chinese culture. The scenic area is equipped with multilingual signage throughout, and xiaolongbao and Chinese tea beverages are very popular among foreign tourists. Along the street, there are also Chinese-style silk, cultural and creative handicrafts, and souvenirs available for one-stop shopping.

In the first half of this year, Yu Garden business district received inbound tourists accounting for 21% of the total scenic area footfall. As night falls, the "Summer Fantasy Night" light show launched by Yu Garden for the summer effectively extends the time tourists spend on consumption.

There are plenty of options for night tours in Shanghai. You can go to the West Bund Riverside, walk along the river to enjoy the river view, and then watch an outdoor riverfront movie to experience the local lifestyle; if you want a high-altitude view of the city's nightscape, the best choice is to go to Lujiazui and ascend to the observation deck of the Shanghai Tower, which is equipped with multilingual city introduction brochures and night view check-in guides. In the first half of this year, it has cumulatively received 152,000 inbound tourists, a year-on-year increase of 68%.

Shanghai's summer tourism consumption season has specially launched multiple routes for foreign tourists, covering famous business districts and landmarks, with projects involving shopping, dining, cultural and creative products, night tours, and high-altitude sightseeing, not only extending tourists' stay time but also broadening the categories of consumer goods.

Multiple efforts in events and cultural museums

Leveraging new growth in inbound consumption

This summer, Shanghai focuses on three core sectors: international top-tier events, international performances, and global trendy cultural entertainment, launching multilingual family packages and cross-border one-stop fun packages for foreign tourists to boost inbound consumption growth.

Today (July 4), the 2026 FE Formula E Shanghai Station kicked off with passion at the Shanghai International Circuit. Many fans came specifically to watch the race, including some foreign tourists. Before the start of the event, several business districts in Shanghai launched related consumption scenarios, connecting the chains of watching the race, shopping, and dining.

This summer, the Pudong Art Museum, in response to the exhibition needs of foreign tourists, has equipped dedicated foreign language reception staff at the venue entrance, providing ticket purchase guidance in English, Japanese, and Korean; the venue is simultaneously connected to Shanghai's "Five Museums Linkage" cross-border combo ticket. Overseas tourists can use one combo ticket to one-stop check in at the Pudong Art Museum, Shanghai Museum, and other five major cultural and museum venues.

A few days ago, the "Prehistoric Planet" dinosaur-themed special exhibition launched its global premiere at Shanghai's West Bund Museum, using 3D surround video and full-space immersive light and shadow technology to break traditional exhibition modes, paired with a chapter-by-chapter narrative system, allowing the audience to immersively unlock the world of dinosaurs.

In addition, Shanghai will centrally host multiple international trendy performances, major domestic and overseas cultural and museum exhibitions, and 58 high-level international events, forming a "events + performances + cultural museums" three-in-one diversified matrix, continuously releasing new growth space for inbound consumption.

Tax refund service upgraded

Hassle-free travel

Since the nationwide departure tax refund 2.0 paperless new policy was implemented on July 1, Shanghai has taken the lead in launching a complete set of digital tax refund convenience solutions; at the same time, to boost inbound consumption, it simultaneously launched the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season series of special activities and full-chain supporting services, multi-dimensionally optimizing the shopping, playing, and travel experience for overseas tourists in Shanghai.

In the first half of this year, Shanghai's inbound passenger flow steadily increased, strongly driving overseas shopping consumption. Data shows that in the first half of the year, Shanghai's departure tax refund sales increased by 63.2% year-on-year, of which "buy now, refund now" sales increased by 2.9 times. The city added over 500 new tax refund stores, with the total number of tax refund stores exceeding 2,400. On July 1, the national departure tax refund 2.0 policy was officially implemented. The new policy simplifies the customs verification process for small-value goods and fully promotes paperless processing. Shanghai simultaneously launched digital tools, with full coverage of 2.0 version self-service tax refund machines in major business districts.

Liu Jing, Head of the Goods and Services Tax Section of the Huangpu District Tax Bureau of Shanghai: After our foreign tourists purchase goods, they can scan our national universal code to generate a dedicated service code exclusive to them, achieving one-code processing nationwide. Shanghai has also further optimized the service measures for departure tax refund, launching Shanghai's special mobile service. Passengers can realize the "buy now, refund now" refund function online, with funds arriving in one click.

Focusing on the diverse travel and consumption needs of inbound tourists, Shanghai launched the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season and other activities starting July 3, landing over 100 special activities around six major themes: sports, city, cultural museums, music, entertainment, and leisure, creating cross-format combo tickets, and supporting convenience measures for entry and tax refund.

Liu Min, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce: This year, we are more focused on households as the unit visiting Shanghai to experience various scenes of "Shanghai Summer." From aspects such as travel, payment, and tax refund, we strengthen coordination and better utilize the "Shanghai Pass" platform to link various scenes of city service experience.