The 2026 "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season will further improve its services to inbound travelers to boost consumption while better demonstrating the city's lifestyle and culture, said officials on a press conference on Thursday.
Efforts will be made to upgrade services for travel, accommodation, catering, electronic facilitation, payment and tax refund to make overseas visitors' stay and shopping experiences in Shanghai more amiable during the upcoming summer, said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.
China Eastern Airlines will launch five new international direct flight routes, including one to Zurich. HiChina, the all-in-one travel app for international visitors to China, will optimize its full-range services during visitors' stay in Shanghai. Navigation app Amap will integrate Shanghai's distinctive shopping destinations into travel itineraries in a natural way, according to Liu.
Easy Go, a digital platform jointly launched by the municipal government and Alipay last year to enhance the travel experience for international visitors, will be upgraded by incorporating artificial intelligence to accurately identify user commands in multiple languages and provide digital and intelligent services such as ride-hailing, ticket booking, and translation, said Liu.
Easy Go will also work with Shanghai Pass - a multi-purpose prepaid card for inbound travelers introduced last year - to launch a travel package and an NFC overseas version e-card. Payment company Visa will expand inbound payment coverage to more small and micro merchants, making "tap and scan" payments both available and user-friendly, she added.
In addition, a "mobile processing" platform for departure tax refunds will be introduced, allowing inbound travelers to handle tax refund shopping invoices, instant refunds upon purchases, customs verification and port tax refunds on their mobile phones, added Liu.
Digital services for port verification will also be upgraded, allowing inbound travelers to check customs verification status and handle related tax refund procedures at the airport using self-service inquiry machines and smart verification machines, according to Liu.
Pudong will continue to issue duty-free consumption vouchers at the airport, focusing on inbound consumption. Meanwhile, Pudong Airport will simultaneously offer benefits such as spending discounts, coupon giveaways, and flight ticket drawings, providing exclusive voucher packs for inbound travelers, according to Xu Xin, deputy head of Pudong New Area.
It is the third consecutive year that Shanghai has held the shopping carnival. Scheduled from July to October, including Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, this year's event will feature a number of benchmark sports, urban, museum, music, entertainment and relaxing activities. These will include the 2026 Rolex Shanghai Masters - a top ATP 1000 tennis event, 2026 Motocross World Championship (MXGP) of the Shanghai leg, the Shanghai International Light Festival, the 28th Pet Fair Asia, among others.
