On the afternoon of November 8, during the 8th Hongqiao International Economic Forum's sub-forum marking the 10th anniversary of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement in Shanghai, Wang Wei, Senior Vice President of Trip.com Group, spoke with Sina Finance.
This year, Trip.com has seen significant year-on-year growth in inbound tourism orders. When discussing the core drivers behind this growth, Wang Wei highlighted the continuous benefits of visa facilitation policies, including unilateral visa exemptions for countries such as Russia and Brazil, as well as extensions for 45 nations including France, Germany, and Japan. Thanks to these policies, Russia has become China's fifth-largest source of inbound tourists. In Beijing, Russian visitors have surpassed those from Japan and South Korea to become the city's largest international tourist group.
Wang Wei noted that inbound travel convenience is being further upgraded. The National Immigration Administration announced the launch of an "online inbound card declaration" by the end of November, aligning with the "smart customs clearance" standards of popular international tourism destinations. This allows travelers to complete declarations online or via mobile devices in advance, significantly improving clearance efficiency and comfort, showcasing a more open, intelligent, and welcoming China.
Wang Wei emphasized that the inbound tourism market is transitioning from "policy-driven" to "quality-driven." From an industry perspective, China's inbound tourism has entered a phase of full prosperity, with policy priorities shifting from "improving service infrastructure" to "expanding consumption."
He stated that continuous improvements in inbound tourism policies—such as enhanced payment convenience, optimized transit visa exemptions, the expansion of "immediate tax refunds upon purchase," and online inbound card declarations—have effectively boosted market growth. Moving forward, key efforts will focus on refining service guarantees, developing distinctive product offerings, and strengthening global marketing. Trip.com will collaborate with local governments to advance smart cultural tourism, brand promotion, industrial upgrades, and inbound product development, creating new "tourism +" consumption scenarios.
Regarding AI's role in enhancing international travelers' experiences, Wang Wei explained that Trip.com has been building a mature global operational system to expand the inbound tourism market. The company is leveraging its platform to help small and medium-sized businesses broaden consumption scenarios.
For instance, through Trip Genie on Trip.com's international platform, AI provides end-to-end services by generating complete travel plans—including transportation, accommodation, and attractions—based on natural language interactions. The AI Agent customer service system supports 26 languages and handles nearly 5,000 international traveler inquiries daily, improving service efficiency and optimizing workforce allocation while helping hotels enhance their reception capabilities and visitor experiences.