鼓励入境消费，“真金白银”这样投

Core Insights - The article discusses the significant growth in inbound tourism consumption in China, particularly in cities like Shanghai, which has seen a 140% increase in tax refund applications compared to the previous year [4][6] - The Chinese government is initiating a project to build an international consumption environment in approximately 15 pilot cities, with a focus on enhancing the shopping experience for foreign tourists [6][8] Group 1: Inbound Tourism Growth - Shanghai Customs processed 64,000 tax refund applications in the first half of the year, a substantial increase of 140% year-on-year, indicating a strong recovery in inbound tourism [4] - The total sales amount for tax refunds in the first half of the year grew by 94.6% year-on-year, with souvenirs, trendy items, and tech products being popular among foreign tourists [6] Group 2: International Consumption Environment - The initiative to create an international consumption environment will focus on major cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Chongqing, which are already recognized as international consumption centers [8][9] - Each international consumption center city will receive a subsidy of 200 million yuan, while other eligible cities will receive 100 million yuan to support the development of this environment [8] Group 3: Key Measures and Implementation - The plan includes enhancing high-quality consumption supply, optimizing foreign payment services, and improving international service levels, such as multilingual signage and luggage storage facilities [9][10] - The initiative aims to address the needs of foreign tourists, such as the availability of foreign currency exchange points and foreign card POS machines, to facilitate smoother transactions [12][13] Group 4: Policy and Performance Metrics - The performance metrics for the initiative will include the number of new foreign card POS machines and currency exchange points, which are critical for improving the international consumption environment [12][16] - The government emphasizes the importance of aligning funding with performance outcomes, ensuring that financial support is contingent on the successful implementation of the initiative [16]