随着入境免签政策的扩大和离境退税制度的完善，越来越多外国游客选择来华进行大额消费。2025年，免签入境的外国人达3008万人次，占入境外国人总数的73.1%[1]。中国目前已对50个国家实行单方面免签，对55个国家实行240小时过境免签[1]。
外国游客的购物需求也在升级。传统工艺品不再是购物清单的主角，取而代之的是折叠屏手机、AI眼镜、国潮品牌等高科技和文创产品[1]。购物方式同样发生了变化，从随意选购演变为精准攻略式购物[1]。这种消费转变直接推动了退税数据的爆发式增长——2025年全国离境退税销售额同比增长近1倍，单年销售规模基本相当于此前10年的总和，办理退税人数达27万，比2024年增长了3倍[1]。
进入2026年，这一势头更加强劲。上半年免签入境外国人1781.5万人次，占比达77.7%，同比增长30.6%[1]。办理离境退税的境外旅客数量同比增长366%，退税商品销售额和退税额同比增长69%[1]。世界知识产权组织报告显示，中国已成为全球人工智能专利最大拥有国，占比达60%[1]，国产科技产品的竞争力为这种增长提供了有力支撑。
China's expansion of visa-free entry policies and optimization of tax refund systems have driven a surge in international visitor consumption, with "reverse cross-border shopping"—where foreign tourists make substantial purchases in China—becoming increasingly popular [1]. In 2025, 30.08 million foreign nationals entered China under visa-free arrangements, accounting for 73.1 percent of total foreign arrivals [1]. The country has extended visa-free entry to 50 nations and offers 240-hour visa-free transit to 55 countries [1].
The scale of tax refund shopping has expanded dramatically. In 2025, nationwide tax refund sales more than doubled compared to the previous year, with annual sales equaling roughly a decade's cumulative total [1]. The number of visitors processing tax refunds reached 270,000 in 2025, triple the 2024 figure [1]. This momentum continued into 2026, with foreign tourists processing tax refunds in the first half of the year increasing 366 percent year-over-year, while tax refund goods sales and refund amounts each grew 69 percent [1]. Visa-free entry visitors in the first half of 2026 totaled 17.815 million, representing 77.7 percent of foreign arrivals and marking a 30.6 percent increase [1].
Shopping preferences among international visitors have shifted toward high-tech and culturally innovative products. Foreign travelers now seek foldable smartphones, AI-enabled eyeglasses, and Chinese cultural brands rather than traditional handicrafts, moving from impulse purchases to researched, strategic shopping [1]. China's prominence in this emerging tech sector is underscored by its position as the world's largest holder of artificial intelligence patents, accounting for 60 percent of the global total [1].