Shanghai's Pudong and Hongqiao international airports have set up additional centers to offer one-stop service to overseas travelers.
The two additional "one-stop service centers" started operation on Sept 27, one at Pudong International Airport Terminal 1 and the other at Hongqiao International Airport Terminal 1. The two centers, located near the international arrival gates, are designed to help inbound passengers navigate the city more easily.
Sebastian is a tourist from Germany and planned to stay in Shanghai for three days. After he arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, he wanted to buy a transportation card to get around in the city. He received warm help from the staff members at the service center.
"They're very helpful. I was a little lost when I arrived at Terminal 2 at the airport because I had a flight from Kunming to Shanghai. And that's why I arrived at the Terminal 2 where just the people from China arrived. That's why I didn't see all these guys with exchange and with the SIM cards and all this stuff. And that's why I first had to come here. Now I think it will work," he said.
"We arrived in Guangzhou this morning, but the transfer time was really short. So it wasn't enough time for me to sort that all out in Guangzhou. So we arrived in Shanghai. I was just trying to draw some money out. She (Staff at service center) was really helpful, so she came over and gave me a hand. That worked out quite well," said Jing, another traveler from Australia.
The service centers provide a wide range of support for foreign travelers, including services for tourism, communication, payment, and transportation. Visitors can purchase local SIM cards, rent portable WiFi, exchange currency, and buy transportation cards, among other offerings.
"Most foreigners ask about the payment when they arrive in Hongqiao airport. First of all, they want to change their money from other currencies to Chinese yuan. So our payment service can help them to change their money. We also got an ATM to help them get their money from their bank card. Our transportation service can help them get their Shanghai Pass or other transportation card. If they want to check or ask some questions about tourism in Shanghai, they can come here and ask us," said Xie Weiyun, manager of Shanghai Foreign Service Group, one of the operators of the centers.
There are now three service stations at airports in Shanghai: one at Hongqiao Terminal 1 and one at each of Pudong's Terminals 1 and 2.
The service station at Pudong Terminal 2, which opened on June 29, has helped more than 44,000 passengers, and received over 3,600 positive reviews from travelers from countries like Russia, the United States, Britain, Denmark, and the Philippines.
Shanghai airports offer one-stop service to overseas travelers
