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Lawmaker suggests tech means to improve foreign tourists’ experience
Print Edition
Can’t verify passports? Having trouble making appointments? A local lawmaker attending the annual meeting of the city’s legislature suggested using technological means to enhance foreign visitors’ travel experience.
In 2024, China’s border inspection agencies handled 64.88 million foreign cross-border trips, surging 82.9 percent from 2023.
“However, foreign tourists still face some common issues during their trips,” said Liu Chen, a board director of artificial intelligence company Hehe Xinxi.
Liu found that making reservations via mini-programs of some popular scenic spots is nearly impossible because foreign passports are not accepted as an identity document.
“Currently, some attractions and cultural exhibition halls in Shanghai have their own mini-programs for ticket booking, and visitors need to make reservations in advance,” he noted.
“However, many foreign tourists have reported that the reservation processes require real-name authentication, and the registration process is relatively cumbersome. Some systems do not have an option for foreign passports, making it difficult to recognize and verify documents.”
Liu suggested providing foreign tourists with expanded options to register on mini-programs, streamlining unnecessary personal information and introducing technological means such as AI and visual recognition to simplify the registration process. Additionally, practical issues such as multilingual translation should be addressed as well.
“For some popular venues, we can reserve a certain proportion of quotas for foreign tourists.”
He also recommended adding a passport-based identity verification function on the Suishenban (随申办) app or mini-program — Shanghai’s digital government service platform.
“When services such as accommodation reservations, scenic spot bookings, payments and banking transactions require the use of foreign tourists’ identity information, they can be directly accessed through the Suishenban platform.”
In addition, Liu also found that the increase in tourists from non-English speaking countries poses a challenge for multilingual services.
He suggested promoting the use of multilingual translation devices at airports, train stations, restaurants, hotels, banks, scenic spots, shopping malls and other venues with the necessary conditions or where there is a large presence of foreigners.
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