China Implements New Payment Service Measures at Cultural and Tourism Venues
To enhance payment services and convenience for cultural and tourism visitors, the People’s Bank of China, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage have jointly issued a new “Notice on Further Optimizing Payment Services at Key Cultural and Tourism Places to Improve Payment Convenience”.
The “Notice” aims to meet the diverse payment needs of different groups, including the elderly and foreign visitors, in the cultural tourism sector. It calls for local culture and tourism departments to collaborate with local branches of the People’s Bank of China to identify key cultural and tourism venues, merchants, and develop plans to enhance payment services. This includes improving bank card acceptance, cash usage, mobile payment convenience, and overall payment facilitation at these venues.
Specific requirements outlined in the “Notice” include achieving full coverage of domestic and overseas bank card acceptance at three-star and above tourist hotels, national 5A and 4A tourist attractions, national and provincial tourist resorts, and national tourist and leisure streets. Key cultural and tourism venues are also urged to maintain manual ticketing windows, support cash payments, and establish foreign currency exchange services for foreign visitors.
Furthermore, efforts will be made to enhance mobile payment services in both online and offline scenarios at cultural and tourism venues. The implementation of these measures will involve close cooperation between government agencies, financial institutions, and cultural tourism entities to ensure the smooth execution of the new payment service standards.
Overall, the initiative aims to optimize payment services for visitors, promote high-level opening up to the outside world, and contribute to the overall improvement of the business environment in the cultural tourism sector.