The number of tax-refund shops for departing tourists has exceeded 2,000, and various data on tax-refund business for departing tourists in the first seven months of this year have reached record highs... In recent years, Beijing has seized policy opportunities and continuously optimized its international consumption environment. The inbound tourism market is accelerating its transformation from sightseeing and check-in to a diversified model of "sightseeing + consumption".

Dong'an Market was founded in 1903 and merged into Wangfujing Group Co., Ltd. in 2004. In 2022, it officially transformed into an international brand boutique department store, bringing together more than 600 international first-tier luxury brands and independent designer brands. With the changes in the mall's positioning and customer structure, it has also placed higher demands on convenient payment services.

"The mall features Chinese trends and accessible luxury, with upgraded merchandise and a focus on attracting young people who follow fashion trends, tourists from all over the world, and foreign guests as its main customer base," Liu Juan, assistant director of the commercial management department of Dong'an Market, told reporters. "Through continuous promotion of the iterative upgrading of cross-border consumption services, the mall has streamlined the entire process, including foreign guest reception, shopping guidance, and tax refund processing."

The upgrade of cross-border consumption services at Dong'an Market is part of Wangfujing Group's "Global Enjoyment" cross-border consumption service revitalization plan. This plan aims to provide overseas travelers with a seamless experience from in-store shopping to departure by upgrading the service system for them, including departure tax refunds, in-store gifts, multilingual services, convenient payment, rental services, VIP lounges, cultural and tourism integration, and after-sales service guarantees. Since focusing on promoting departure tax refunds and instant refund services in 2025, the group has increased the number of departure tax refund stores to 46.

As a landmark commercial window for foreign visitors on Chang'an Avenue, Xiushui Street is also accelerating its development into a consumer-friendly commercial district for inbound travelers. Services such as 18-hour express suit customization, 30-minute eyeglass fitting, hotel delivery, and global mailing have been comprehensively upgraded. Through continuously expanding tax refund service platforms, improving international facilities, and enriching traditional Chinese-style consumption scenarios, Xiushui Street has achieved a double leap in both the scale and quality of inbound travel consumption.

Data shows that in the first half of this year, Xiushui Street saw a leap in inbound tourist traffic, receiving over 4.3 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 550%; inbound tourist sales reached approximately 2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 350%; and the street received approximately 30,000 inbound tourist groups, averaging over 160 groups per day, with particularly strong growth in groups from European and American countries such as Spain, Russia, the UK, Italy, and Australia. With the continuous improvement of the comprehensive tax refund service system, Xiushui Street merchants saw a 54% increase in tax refund orders in the first half of this year compared to the whole of 2025.

Zhang Teng, Vice President of Beijing Xiushui Street Commercial Management Co., Ltd., introduced that as a traditional foreign-related reception point in Beijing, Xiushui Street has optimized its services for foreign shoppers this year, building upon its existing barrier-free language and payment systems. For example, it has established Beijing's first shopping mall-exclusive multilingual after-sales service station, providing a one-stop service including shopping guidance, after-sales rights protection, and tax refund consultation in more than ten languages. Simultaneously, a centralized tax refund point for immediate refunds has been set up at the south entrance on the first floor to meet the convenient tax refund needs of overseas consumers.

Beyond physical stores, tax refund services for departing tourists have also extended online. At the end of May this year, JD.com completed its first online tax refund transaction, becoming the first "online tax refund store" for overseas travelers in China. Beijing also became the first city in China to implement online tax refunds for departing tourists. This innovation allows overseas travelers to purchase goods with the tax refund label without having to visit designated offline tax refund stores; they can simply use their mobile phones to purchase these goods through the tax refund function of relevant apps. At the same time, the entire process has been simplified, with tax refund documents automatically generated online, resulting in a smoother experience and wider coverage.

In addition to the increasingly sophisticated tax refund service for departing tourists, Beijing has also launched the BEIJING PASS international card for foreign tourists, allowing them to easily enter and exit the subway; currency exchange shops have opened in subway stations, embedding financial services into tourists' travel routes; commercial venues frequented by inbound tourists have completed the deployment of foreign card POS machines; and the one-stop integrated service platform "Rujingtong GO BEIJING" has been launched... With the continuous upgrading of the international consumption environment, the "sightseeing + consumption" model of Beijing's inbound tourism market is gradually taking shape.

Data from the Beijing Municipal Tax Service, State Taxation Administration, shows that as of the end of July this year, the number of tax-refund shops in the city exceeded 2,000. In the first seven months of this year, the number of tax refund applications issued in Beijing increased fourfold year-on-year, the sales volume of tax-refund goods increased by 44.5% year-on-year, and the amount of tax refunds processed increased by 44% year-on-year, with all data related to tax refund business reaching record highs.

(Source: Economic Daily reporter Yang Xuecong)