Shanghai Sets Ambitious Tourism Targets With Five-Year Plan

Shanghai has released its 15th Five-Year Plan for innovative urban tourism development, setting ambitious targets to build the city into China's top inbound tourism gateway, premier urban travel destination and national model for integrated culture and tourism development by 2030.

By 2030, Shanghai targets over 900 billion yuan (US$134 billion) in total tourism revenue, more than 10 million inbound tourist arrivals, and tourism industry value-added output accounting for 5 percent of the city's gross domestic product, it was revealed at a press conference on Tuesday.

In 2025, the city recorded 672.365 billion yuan in tourism revenue, representing an average annual growth of 16.45 percent, compared with 2020. It saw 9.36 million inbound visitor arrivals last year. Shanghai received one-fifth of China's total inbound foreign arrivals, ranking first nationwide.

Under the plan, the city will develop seven major tourism zones and one tourism belt, upgrading waterfront landmarks, classic tourist districts, emerging tourism hubs and the Yangtze River Estuary travel belt.

Shanghai will build a world-class waterfront tourism zone along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, advancing the development of the "seven districts and one belt" layout.

It includes an iconic riverside global hub where the two waterways meet, anchored by the Bund, Lujiazui and North Bund; a dynamic cultural waterfront spanning West Bund and the Qiantan area; a cultural and creative corridor at the World Expo site; and an industrial showcase shoreline along the Yangpu riverfront and Fuxing Island that highlights century-old industrial heritage.

To enhance its aviation and cruise port gateway functions, more medium- and long-haul international routes and new air routes connecting Belt and Road destinations will be operated, tapping emerging overseas tourist markets.

The city will also boost air-rail and air-cruise combined transportation systems, streamline transfer procedures and develop customized inbound tourism products for global travelers during the period.

A range of inbound travel service upgrades will be implemented to deliver a more convenient and user-friendly experience for foreign visitors. The city will improve customs clearance, mobile communication, multilingual support, ticket reservation, mobile payment and tax refund services.

It will also enhance its all-in-one smart service platform for inbound travelers, and optimize international network access and upgrade user experience for commonly used mobile applications for foreign visitors.

Multilingual services will be expanded across hotels, cultural venues, scenic spots and tourist information centers. The city will optimize the cross-border payment environment by deploying contactless payment terminals at airports and major commercial areas to facilitate international payment methods.

Meanwhile, Shanghai will simplify departure tax refund procedures and expand coverage of instant tax refund outlets for overseas consumers.