Suzhou Issues 9 Measures to Boost Inbound Tourism
The Suzhou municipal government issued the Several Measures to Promote Inbound Tourism, launching 9 steps across three areas; the measures take effect on September 10 this year.
The Suzhou Municipal Government recently issued the "Several Measures of Suzhou Municipality on Promoting Inbound Tourism" (hereinafter referred to as the "Several Measures"), introducing nine specific measures in three aspects—incentivizing the attraction of visitors to and retention of visitors in Suzhou, expanding overseas source-market channels, and optimizing the inbound tourism service environment—to further stimulate the vitality of the inbound tourism market. The Several Measures will take effect on September 10 this year.
The Several Measures specify that rewards will be given to travel agencies and online travel platforms that independently solicit and receive overseas tourists and foreigners in China for overnight stays in Suzhou, as well as those that organize overseas tourists and foreigners in China to carry out cruise day tours and student study day tours in Suzhou; for qualifying travel agencies that independently solicit and receive visitors, receive visitors, or organize day tours, the maximum annual reward amounts are 3 million yuan, 2 million yuan, and 200,000 yuan respectively; for those that establish and operate a Suzhou inbound tourism promotion center overseas, maintain a permanent Suzhou inbound tourism-themed store, reach the required number of industry promotion meetings, and meet the requirements for the person-days of local cultural tourism enterprises and institutions organized for inspection tours in Suzhou, a reward of up to 800,000 yuan will be given.
The Several Measures also specify that travel agencies and online travel platforms that launch premium inbound tourism route products in Suzhou with themes such as traditional Chinese medicine wellness, industrial tourism, and sports and leisure and that meet the conditions will be given a one-time reward of no more than 50,000 yuan; national senior tour guides or above who establish a personal studio, train three foreign-language tour guides newly registered in or transferred to Suzhou annually, with each guide providing more than 50 person-days of foreign-language guide service for inbound tour groups, and conduct training and exchange activities four times a year, will be given a one-time reward of no more than 50,000 yuan. (By Tai Zijun)
(This article is compiled from publicly released materials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; the original link is shown at the beginning of the article.)