Chongqing - What began as a sightseeing trip is increasingly becoming a shopping journey, as inbound tourists expand their spending beyond travel experiences to locally made products, cultural goods, and consumer brands.

On March 15 at Ciqikou Ancient Town, a visitor from Malaysia named Pawan asked her guide to take her to a Pop Mart store, the Chinese designer toy brand known for collectible figures. She said she had seen the store on TikTok and wanted items that had not yet been released in her home market.

Russian tourists pose for photos at Ciqikou Ancient Town in Chongqing’s Shapingba District. (Photo/Sun Kaifang)

A similar moment came for Maria, a visitor from Russia, who stopped at a Tongshifu store after spotting its brass ornaments. Some pieces combined film and animation imagery, while others used traditional Chinese patterns linked to good fortune. She bought two horse-and-cloud ornaments as gifts for friends.

Russian tourists browse a qipao store in Ciqikou Ancient Town, Shapingba District, Chongqing. (Photo/Sun Kaifang)

The shift from "Chongqing travel" to "Chongqing shopping" reflects more than an extension of inbound tourism. It also points to broader changes in the tourism market, where shopping is becoming part of how foreign visitors experience the city.

This year, China's government work report, delivered during the annual Two Sessions for the first time, called for optimizing the inbound consumption environment and building the "Shop in China" brand.

Chongqing has already built momentum in overseas tourism markets, especially in Southeast Asia. According to the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, the city received 2.15 million inbound tourist visits last year, up 68.2% year-on-year. 

It also ranked among Ctrip's top 10 inbound tourism cities and was named the most internationally influential inbound tourism city at the 2025 Weibo Tourism Night event. The Southeast Asian market alone grew 72.8%.

Rising visitor numbers have been followed by stronger demand for tourism-related shopping. According to the Chongqing Local Taxation Bureau, the number of inbound foreign travelers in 2025 reached a record high, with more than 760,000 foreign passenger trips inspected at border checkpoints, while the actual amount of departure tax refunds rose nearly fourfold from a year earlier.

Officials said foreign tourists are expanding their shopping lists as their stays in Chongqing grow longer and more immersive. Purchases now range from smartphones, drones, and VR headsets to cultural products, designer toys, hotpot base ingredients, and traditional Chinese medicine products.

To support that trend, Chongqing has expanded tourism merchandise as part of its broader cultural and tourism strategy. Since 2019, the city has held the "Chongqing Gifts" competition to encourage products that showcase Bayu culture, the historical culture of the Chongqing region. Entries cover more than 20 categories, including creative lifestyle, technology, fashion, and specialty products.

Authorities said the city has also launched a tourism product improvement plan covering online sales, offline stores, cultural parks, and branding events. Over the past five years, Chongqing added more than 60,000 new cultural and tourism businesses, while the cultural industry grew an average of 8.7% annually and tourism grew 8.1%.

Even so, experts said the sector still needs to modernize. Luo Zibai, a tourism research expert in Chongqing, said tourism products should help visitors better understand local culture. He said future development should focus on stronger cultural content, practical appeal, new technologies, and portable products that fit modern travel habits and international standards.