Shanghai celebrated the 14th China Tourism Day on Sunday with the release of new tourism routes, half-price admissions at 62 tourist attractions and further efforts to boost its inbound tourism market.
Shanghai Pass, a one-stop tourism pass designed for inbound travelers to the city that includes various application scenes of transportation, cultural and tourism venues, and shopping malls, was released on Sunday.
It tackles the difficulties of payment and reservation of inbound travelers. It covers all public transport services including bus, Metro, taxi and ferry, tourist attractions such as Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, Huangpu River cruise, Shanghai Tower, Shanghai Museum, and Shanghai Wild Animal Park, as well as shopping malls and convenience stores.
Users can recharge the card to tackle the demand of small amount of payment and refund it when they leave the city.
Card holders are able to enjoy fast pass into some attractions.
Launched by the tourism card development subsidiary of Shanghai Jiushi (Group) Co Ltd, the card is currently available at the city's two airport and some Metro stations.
The pass has multilingual service booklets and will incorporate more application scenes such as sports games, lifestyle and amusement in the future.
The city launched the "Visit Shanghai" campaign in December last year to boost inbound tourism, making Shanghai the first stop in China for inbound travelers.
The launch of the pass delivers the latest boost towards the goal, aimed at providing a smooth and convenient travel experience for inbound travelers, officials said.
The city received over 1.27 million inbound tourists in the January-March period, up 249.67 percent year on year.
From traditional delicacies such as xiaolongbao (small steamed buns) to the gorgeous scenery along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, Shanghai has been drawing an increasing number of global travelers, with its unique charm and spirit of inclusiveness, excellence, enlightenment, and modesty.
Tourists walk into Shanghai's longtang (lanes) and traditional shikumen (stone-gated) buildings that bear silent witness to the city's history, sip a cup of aromatic coffee at local cafes to taste its unique and charming coffee culture, and get overwhelmed by multiple spiritual purification and layered artistic context at various art venues across the metropolis.
On city walks, they explore hidden local gems and are fascinated by Shanghai's culture and tourism splendor.
Thirty tourism routes that reflect a perfect combination of culture, tourism, commerce, sports and exhibition in Shanghai were released on Sunday.
Bearing the themes of yanhuo, film and television, shopping, sports, and exhibitions, these routes capture the essence of Shanghai's tourism gems and splendor, inviting travelers from home and abroad to embark on a journey to explore the city and experience its unique tourism charm.
In Chinese, yanhuo means the fire from cooking food. The word is often used to refer to the phenomenon of vitality in common daily lives of people.
These routes will take people to sites that reflect the daily life of locals such as Wuzhong Market, a trendy wet market in Xuhui District with haipai (Shanghai-style) flavor, the wanghong (online celebrity) cafe belt on the riverfront area in Xuhui, popular film and TV series shooting destinations like the Bund, Lujiazui and Zhapu Road, shopping spots including the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, Xujiahui and Wujiaochang, as well as sports, convention and exhibition venues.
Some routes released on Sunday:
Yuandian Square of Normandie Apartments 武康大楼源点广场 - Hengshan Garden 衡山花园 - Ripple Pocket Park"丽波·水漾"口袋公园 - 66 Wutongyuan 66梧桐院•邻里汇 - Wuzhong Market 乌中市集 - Yongkang Road 永康路 - Yanqing Road Wet Market 延庆路菜场
Fairmont Peace Hotel 和平饭店 - the Bund 外滩 - Zhejiang Road Bridge 浙江路桥 - Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street 南京路步行街 - Huanghe Road 黄河路 - Yunnan Road 云南路 - Jinxian Road 进贤路
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) 国家会展中心 - Greenland Global Commodity Trade Hub 绿地全球商品贸易港 - The Hub 虹桥天地购物中心 - Shanghai Panlong Tiandi 上海蟠龙天地
HKRI Taikoo Hui 兴业太古汇 - Zhangyuan 张园 - Plaza 66 上海恒隆广场 - Shanghai Exhibition Center - Jiuguang Department Store 久光百货 - Fengshengli 丰盛里
Hanxiang Water Garden 韩湘水博园 - Minhang Sports Park 闵行体育公园 - Maqiao Culture Exhibition Hall 马桥文化展示馆 - Qizhong Tennis Center 旗忠网球中心