Chen Siqi vankochensq@163.com IN the first quarter of this year, Shenzhen recorded over 177,400 overnight stays from foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 196.2%, according to Shenzhen Economic Daily. The city’s diverse accommodations are becoming increasingly popular among inbound travelers. All three-star and above hotels are now equipped with POS machines that accept foreign bank cards. The hotels have also worked with banks to install currency exchange machines on site. “Last week we helped two German guests, who were short on cash, link their bank cards to WeChat Pay so that they could easily pay for their hotel expenses,” a staffer of Crowne Plaza Shenzhen Futian surnamed Wu said. Following a crucial business deal in Nanshan District, a traveler named Walter decided to stay at a bed and breakfast (B&B) in Dapeng New Area. Foreign tourists can now stay in B&Bs in Jiaochangwei in Dapeng since these businesses can register foreigners’ information via the newly linked tourism system. “Previously, many tourists would return to the downtown area after a day at the beach. By making overnight stays more accessible to foreigners, this system is expected to attract more visitors,” said Huang Xiayan, secretary-general of the Dapeng B&B Association. “In the meantime, Dapeng will offer a richer cultural and tourism experience.” Since a majority of foreign travelers are from Southeast Asian countries, many hotels have enhanced their multilingual support services. The Shenzhen Gleetour Seaview Hotel, which reopened recently, has hired employees from overseas that speak foreign languages. The new employees, including one from Russia, are providing English and Russian services to the hotel’s customers. In another development, foreigners who have set up their digital RMB accounts can make payments at millions of businesses in China simply by scanning QR codes with the dedicated digital RMB app. Customers can also use the digital RMB through WeChat Pay and Mini Programs accessible through the WeChat platform. | 