Tourists visit the Memorial Hall to the Doolittle Raid in Quzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: quzhouta]

Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province experienced a boom in inbound tourism in 2025 with inbound visits surpassing 40,000, up 30 percent from the previous year.

This surge in visitors fueled a robust recovery in cross-border consumption, with foreign card transactions in 2025 exceeding 2.11 billion yuan ($303.01 million). Of this, direct cultural and tourism-related expenditures accounted for over 2.04 billion yuan, or 96.69 percent.

To foster a more convenient and international tourism environment, Quzhou has established a comprehensive payment network across nine major cultural and tourism consumption areas, including dining, accommodation, transportation, shopping, and entertainment.

Currently, 874 key merchants in the city accept foreign cards, and all four-star hotels and above support international card and mobile payments.

Furthermore, Quzhou guided 18 banks and 142 branches to offer foreign currency cash services, ensuring a steady reserve of major currencies like the USD, EUR, and JPY.

Eighteen new foreign currency exchange points were added in core tourism areas, with bilingual guides simplifying the process. The city handled 14,500 personal foreign currency cash transactions in 2025, totaling $29.46 million, a 10.96 percent increase year-on-year.

By hosting major international events such as the 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships and the 3rd "Quzhou Lanke Cup" World Weiqi Open Tournament, Quzhou was also able to showcase its cultural and tourism appeal, drawing global attention.