New visa-free policies further boost Shanghai's inbound tourism

Besides food chains, INS Park, a 20,000-square-meter entertainment complex founded in 2023, and Shushu/Tong, a Shanghai-based fashion label established in 2015, are reporting the same experience as well.

"The number of foreign tourists visiting our complex has grown by 20 percent since December," said Wen Haoming, the investment and operation director of INS Park, a six-floor amusement land that combines an esports arena with six nightclubs, a range of restaurants and a comedy club.

Meanwhile, the operation manager of Shushu/Tong at the JC Plaza said that Korean tourists accounted for about 80 percent of its new offline customers, and sales increased by about 50 percent compared with last year.

To better cope with increasing consumers' needs and provide high-standard service, several malls have trained staff members in basic foreign language skills and equipped them with translators.

Additionally, they have changed directional signs to be multilingual, diversified payment options and added foreign currency exchange points.

At the same time, restaurants with overwhelming consumer volume, such as Haidilao, have adjusted their business hours and extended them to 3 to 4 o'clock in the morning in hopes of serving as many visitors as possible.