On January 19, the summary symposium for the 2025 "Golden Enterprise Project – Visa's Initiative to Boost Cultural Tourism Consumption and Empower Small and Micro Business Finance" was recently held in Beijing. At the meeting, Visa, in conjunction with the China Financial Education Development Foundation and other partners, systematically reviewed the project's phased achievements in providing financial support to small and micro enterprises in the cultural and tourism sector. Discussions also centered on how to leverage financial innovation during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period to drive the development of the cultural tourism industry and the construction of an international consumer environment. During the symposium, project organizers reported that through financial education initiatives, they have served over 30,000 enterprises and merchants across nearly 20 cities nationwide. Visa also shared progress on the "Beijing Central Axis Barrier-Free Payment Service Tourism Demonstration Zone," which has already helped more than 5,000 small and micro enterprises enhance their foreign card payment acceptance capabilities. By deploying innovative solutions like "camera scan-to-pay," the project provides more convenient payment services for inbound tourists, further stimulating inbound consumption vitality and supporting Beijing's goal of becoming a preferred destination for inbound tourism and an international consumption center city.

With the implementation of favorable policies such as visa-free entry and visa optimization, China's inbound tourism market is accelerating its recovery. Data shows that as of September 2025, the cumulative number of foreign nationals entering and exiting through national ports has already surpassed the total figure for the entire year of 2024. The willingness and frequency of payments by inbound tourists are continually increasing, and the corresponding rise in inbound consumption is injecting new momentum into urban economies: in the first three quarters of 2025, Beijing's total inbound tourism revenue reached $5.02 billion, exceeding the full-year 2024 total; Shanghai received over 6.3 million inbound tourists, reaching 94.3% of its 2024 annual figure.

In high-frequency consumption scenarios like cultural tourism and commerce, a convenient payment experience has become a critical factor influencing the depth of tourist spending. Taking the Beijing Subway as an example, since it pioneered the nationwide launch of the "tap-to-ride" functionality in September 2024, Visa cardholders from over 150 countries and regions have been able to use their cards directly to tap and ride without needing cash to purchase tickets, further underscoring the strong demand from international tourists for convenient, seamless payment experiences.

As a payment company with a long-term commitment to supporting small and micro enterprise development, Visa collaborated in 2025 with the China Financial Education Development Foundation and the Pacific Asia Travel Association, among others, to conduct capacity-building training for small and micro enterprises. The aim is to provide the industry with practical financial knowledge and skills to enhance their digital operational capabilities, strengthen their international payment processing abilities, and deliver higher quality services to inbound tourists. These training sessions have covered more than 30,000 enterprises and merchants across nearly 20 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Suzhou.

The "Beijing Central Axis Barrier-Free Payment Service Tourism Demonstration Zone" has also become an innovative model for "optimizing inbound payment services and building an international consumer-friendly environment." Visa, together with industry partners, has promoted upgrades to foreign card acceptance capabilities and introduced innovative payment methods like "camera scan-to-pay" in high-frequency international tourist scenarios, providing small and micro merchants with more flexible and diverse cross-border payment solutions. The number of merchants in the Beijing Central Axis demonstration zone that have completed foreign card acceptance upgrades has grown from an initial 1,000+ to over 5,000. This successful model is now being replicated and promoted in key inbound tourism cities like Shanghai, Chengdu, and Shenzhen, gradually forming a national inbound-friendly payment network covering multiple scenarios such as transportation, commerce, dining, and cultural consumption. For instance, in 2025, Visa officially became the global strategic partner for the "Shanghai Summer" International Consumption Season and launched a 240-hour themed product—the "Visa Friendly Payment Demonstration Zone"—collaborating with nearly ten partners to offer safer and more convenient payment services for inbound tourists in Shanghai.

Douglas Feagin, Visa's Global Vice President and President of Greater China, stated: "Visa remains optimistic about the consumption potential of inbound tourism. To help small and micro enterprises seize the significant business opportunities presented by the robust development of inbound tourism, Visa actively promotes innovative, low-cost payment tools that align with the payment habits of international tourists, such as mobile camera scan-to-pay and contactless payments. This helps small merchants improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. We believe systematic empowerment can help small and micro enterprises access the international payment ecosystem with lower barriers and higher efficiency. Looking ahead, we expect to continue working with various partners to extend this successful model to more areas, including international consumption center cities and World Heritage sites, enabling international tourists in China to truly 'enter easily, travel well, and pay smoothly.' Together, we will promote the high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry and contribute to building an international consumer environment."

During the symposium, the Beijing International Studies University released the "Research Report on Financial Empowerment for the Growth of Small and Micro Enterprises in Cultural Tourism" and the "Practical Financial Guide and Inbound Tourism Reception Knowledge Handbook for Small and Micro Cultural Tourism Enterprises," commissioned by the China Financial Education Development Foundation and Visa. The report focuses on areas such as inbound tourism consumption, building an international consumer environment, and enhancing the cross-border payment capabilities of small and micro enterprises. It proposes strategies and recommendations for improving the financial capabilities of these businesses from four perspectives: social organizations, financial institutions, enterprises, and public welfare projects. The knowledge handbook translates policies related to inclusive finance, new fiscal and tax regulations, and payment services into practical guides that are easy for small and micro enterprises to understand and implement. Through modules like "Scenario Examples," "Case References," and "Operational Guides," it provides practical tools for owners of small and micro cultural tourism businesses.

In 2026, Visa will join forces with the Foundation and other partners to advance related projects in 15 pilot cities for international consumer environment construction and key Chinese World Heritage sites. Efforts will include providing financial education and skills training for small and micro enterprises, actively promoting diversified payment solutions like "tap-to-pay" and "camera scan-to-pay," continuously optimizing the inbound payment environment, enhancing the consumption experience for inbound tourists, driving the high-quality development of inbound tourism, and supporting the construction of an international consumer environment.