Research on Suzhou's Inbound Tourism Reception Capacity Evaluation and Improvement Paths Under the Background of Expanded Visa Exemption Policies

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jtm.202613403

Author(s)

Aifang Zhu

Affiliation(s)

College of Rural Culture & Tourism, Suzhou Polytechnic Institute of Agriculture, Suzhou, Jiangsu China

Abstract

The convergence of expanded transit visa-free ports and the global "China Travel" surge has pushed China's inbound tourism into a period of explosive growth. Suzhou recorded 5.736 million inbound visitors in 2025, with foreign exchange earnings nearing USD 1.9 billion, yet soft-service deficits are becoming increasingly visible. Drawing on policy documents, in-depth interviews with tour guides, and on-site fieldwork, this paper evaluates Suzhou's inbound tourism reception capacity across five dimensions—transport connectivity, language services, scenic commentary, payment convenience, and international communication. It identifies core bottlenecks including a dual shortage of foreign-language talent, "last-mile" gaps in public service internationalization, misalignment between mobile payment systems and visitor habits, insufficient commentary supply, and brand recognition constraints. Countermeasures are proposed covering hierarchical talent cultivation, micro-internationalization of public services, seamless payment environments, culturally decoded tourism products, and Shanghai-Suzhou coordinated outreach.

Keywords

Inbound Tourism; Reception Capacity; Visa Exemption Policy; Suzhou; Internationalized Services

References

[1] Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China. (2025). 2024 statistical bulletin on cultural and tourism development. [2] Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China. (2026). 2025 statistical bulletin on cultural and tourism development. [3] Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports. (2025). 2024 work summary. [4] Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports. (2026). 2025 work summary. [5] Xinhua Daily. (2024, July 23). Expansion of China's transit visa exemption ports. p. 4. [6] Global Times. (2025, August 2). Booming China Travel in summer. p. 4. [7] Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports. (2025). 2025 work priorities. [8] Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports. (2026). 2026 work priorities. [9] Suzhou Municipal People's Government. (2025). Draft measures for promoting inbound tourism in Suzhou.