Hangzhou City in east China's Zhejiang Province is providing all sorts of services to ease the travel of foreign visitors, in line with the country's 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
The Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport has set up an inquiry service post, where foreign travelers can ask about travel routes, buy SIM cards, book vehicles, and obtain an English-version tour map for free.
"I see all the information, all the required information is included, so it's good for the tourists who want to visit Hangzhou. Chinese service is the best in the world. One click to make the payment, so that kind of applications are using in China very well," said a foreign tourist.
Foreign travelers can also check in at hotels using their cellphones by binding their Alipay accounts with passport information in advance.
"Traditionally, hotels receiving foreigners need a document scanner for registration. Now, with one-tap check-in, the entire procedure can be streamlined, and the accuracy has also been significantly improved," said Ou Yiming, a local hotel manager.
It used to take several days for foreign travelers to go through tax refund procedures if they buy souvenirs or gifts. But now, the first intelligent departure tax refund self-service terminal has been put into use at the Xiaoshan airport, where foreigners can get the tax refund in their accounts after a scan of their payment code.
"In one or two seconds, the tax refund will get into your account. This machine works 24 hours a day. It's more convenient," said Fodil, another foreign traveler.
Int'l visitors welcome Hangzhou's measures aimed at making travel easier
