Hongya Cave is illuminated at night in Chongqing. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)
Chongqing - Southwest China’s Chongqing has recently unveiled a three-year action plan to make daily life easier for overseas visitors, with improved information services and more convenient mobile payment options.
The plan will make it easier for overseas visitors to access reliable information about Chongqing. It includes launching a multilingual government portal, upgrading the iChongqing website established in 2018, and publishing a “Joyful Chongqing” service handbook this year, covering practical information on travel, culture, business and technology.
Launched in 2018, iChongqing is Chongqing‘s official overseas communication platform, providing global audiences with news and information on business, travel and culture. Its upgraded website will expand beyond content publishing to offer practical guidance on daily life and city services, supported by a multilingual AI assistant that can answer questions and help overseas visitors resolve common problems while navigating Chongqing.
Launched in 2018, iChongqing is Chongqing’s official overseas communication platform, providing global audiences with news and information on business, travel and culture. (Photo/iChongqing)
The plan aims to make it easier for overseas visitors to experience Chongqing, from arrival and transportation to shopping and daily services. It includes improving the inbound service center at Jiangbei International Airport, adding foreign-related service centers at major transport hubs, upgrading multilingual signage and expanding volunteer support for international visitors.
Some of these changes are already in place. Bilingual Chinese-English signs have been installed at the airport, four high-speed railway stations and on several metro lines, according to the municipal foreign affairs office.
Major transport hubs and metro stations now accept international bank cards, including Visa, Mastercard and JCB, for ticket purchases.
For shopping, the plan will expand convenience measures for overseas visitors, including adding more than 100 tax refund stores each year, improving overseas bank card acceptance, and expanding payment options such as cash exchange, linking overseas bank cards to domestic accounts and using overseas digital wallets for payments in China.
Business and healthcare services will also be upgraded, including an international version of Yu Kuai Ban, Chongqing’s online government services platform, offering commonly used services for overseas visitors, as well as multilingual support through the city’s 12345 public service hotline.
Chongqing has become a major destination for international tourists to experience China. In 2025, Chongqing received more than two million inbound visitors. From January to August this year, the city's inbound tourist arrivals increased by 56.4% year on year, and Chongqing was named "China's Most Popular Tourist City among Foreigners" by the "An Amiable and Adorable China" Release Conference Series in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.
Chongqing will next translate the three-year plan into annual tasks with clear timelines to ensure each measure is implemented effectively, said Zhou Yi, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.