International transit passengers can enjoy Shanghai’s “free entry half-day tour”.

Recently, Shanghai’s inbound tourism market has been busy. International cruise ships frequently dock at Wusongkou and North Bund cruise terminals, bringing thousands of inbound tourists to Shanghai. At Pudong Airport, an innovative initiative called “Free Half-day Tour for Entry” was launched on the eve of the May Day holiday, aiming to attract more international transfer passengers to experience Shanghai and China. This project has attracted the attention of many international tourists.

At about 11 o’clock today, 9 tourists who signed up for the “free half-day tour of entry” at Pudong Airport arrived at Yuyuan Garden. They were from Germany, Russia, France and other countries. The transit time at Pudong Airport ranged from 10 to 15 hours or 6 to 7 hours. Russian tourists Artemi and his wife Anna flew from the Philippines to Shanghai for a connecting flight, and their next stop will be back to Russia. This short half-day trip to Shanghai was also their first experience in China.

Along the way, the row upon row of high-rise buildings in Shanghai left a first impression on Artemi: “Shanghai is very big and beautiful, amazing!” Entering Yu Garden, Artemi was fascinated by the 400-year-old ginkgo trees, and pavilions. They were all very interested and kept taking pictures with their mobile phones. They also took photos with the Yuyuan Dragon Wall with great interest.

 

Artemi takes a photo with the Dragon Wall in Yuyuan Garden.

 

Tourists taking a group photo took a group photo in front of the Jiuqu Bridge in Yu Garden. After completing a short tour of the Yuyuan area, the nine tourists tasted Nanxiang Xiaolong under the guidance of the tour guide, and then went to the Bund to experience the urban landscape of the International Architecture Expo and the high-rise buildings in the Lujiazui area, and returned to Pudong Airport around 14:00.

A relevant person from the Ctrip Group who launched this “free half-day tour for entry” said that as long as there is enough transfer time, after international passengers arrive at Pudong Airport, they can go to the Ctrip Group’s foreign currency exchange counter in Island A on the 3rd floor of Terminal 2 to sign up for a tour that suits them line. In order to ensure a high-quality tour experience, each route is limited to ten people. International tourists participating in the project can enjoy one-stop inbound tourism services, including free transportation and English guide explanations, as well as foreign currency exchange and e-sim card Internet services.

It is reported that since the project was launched on April 15, many international tourists who enjoy the visa-free policy on arrival have actively signed up. Among them, tourists from Europe account for nearly 80%, tourists from Southeast Asia account for more than 10%, and there are also tourists from North America, South America, and Africa. Travelers from other places participate. After learning about this project, some international passengers chose to reserve longer transfer time to visit Shanghai. An international tourist who participated in the free half-day tour said: “I originally did not plan to enter China, but because of this project, I visited the old town of Shanghai and tasted local food on the streets and restaurants… It felt great!”

 

International tourists who participated in the free half-day tour took photos in front of the Jiuqu Bridge.

 

In fact, the launch of free half-day tour or one-day tour services at airports with a large volume of international passenger transfers has precedents in other international airports around the world and is quite popular. For example, at Istanbul Ataturk Airport, international passengers with Turkish Airlines connecting here can sign up for a free sightseeing tour of Istanbul if the transfer time is within 6 to 24 hours. This service includes a free tour guide and provides breakfast, lunch and attractions. Tickets, etc.; at Singapore Changi Airport, passengers with 5.5 to 24 hours of transfer time can take a 2.5-hour free tour of Singapore, with three different bus sightseeing routes to choose from, including sightseeing routes and walking routes to famous landmarks wait.

Not only do these services provide travelers with a fun way to spend time during transfers, but they also increase traveler satisfaction with the airport and airline. For destinations where international airports are located, transit passengers arriving through free tour programs will bring more consumption to the local area, and also provide opportunities for international tourists to learn about local scenery, culture, food, etc.

Data shows that as China’s “visa-free circle of friends” continues to expand, the number of inbound international tourists has shown strong growth momentum in recent months. A large number of international passengers are expected to transit through Pudong Airport and head to other tourist destinations. To this end, Ctrip has specially launched this inbound transit tourist reception project, and will use overseas matrix and partner channels to promote China’s inbound tourism convenience measures through multiple channels and measures to further enhance the target group’s travel interest and destination favorability.

 

 

 

READ MORE:

CHINA’S TRANSIT VISA-FREE POLICY: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE