The city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, one of the most favored tourist destinations in the Northeast, has become one of the first cities to adopt a tax-refund policy for overseas tourists as part of the province`s efforts to become a global tourist destination, according to local authorities.
The policy allows foreign tourists and those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan staying on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 days to get an 11-percent rebate at the airport for shop purchases of more than 500 yuan ($76.92).
The city opted for this policy after seeing its successful use in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Xiamen, as well as the provinces of Liaoning, Anhui, Fujian, Sichuan and Hainan, and it will be one of four cities in the Northeast to adopt it, along with Heihe, Suifenhe and Shenyang. It is now working on selecting stores to offer the tax rebate.
During this year`s Jan-March period, 204,000 foreign tourists visited the province, for a 54.71-percent year-on-year increase, and they brought in $96.43 million worth of revenues, showing a 73.23-percent increase over the same period last year.
Harbin`s tourism bureau says that it is also now offering a 72-hour visa-free transit stay for tourists from 51 countries with the goal of attracting even more overseas travelers and, in conjunction with the new tax policy, to get them to come more frequently and spend more.