Following the opening of the 137th Canton Fair on April 15th, a surge in tax refund claims by overseas buyers has propelled Guangzhou's daily average of VAT refund transactions for overseas visitors to a historic high. Over 11 days, the daily average of refund approvals increased by 168% year-on-year, with total refund sales doubling compared to the same period last year.

Since launching the VAT refund program in 2016 and piloting "instant refunds" in 2023, Guangzhou has expanded its tax refund network to 349 designated stores, including 10 pioneers like Guangzhou Grandbuy. On the fair's opening day, Taikoo Hui Guangzhou debuted a one-stop online "instant refunds" service, enabling shoppers at 25 participating brands to receive refunds within five minutes via mobile uploads. Grandbuy and other pilot stores have also rolled out self-service digital refund systems.

Retail data further highlights Guangzhou's economic momentum. First-quarter retail sales of social consumer goods reached 291.27 billion yuan, up 3.5% year-on-year, with March alone seeing an 8.6% surge. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport reported a 26.1% rise in international passenger traffic during the same period.

Phase 1 of the Canton Fair saw a 20.2% increase in overseas buyer attendance compared to the 135th session, setting a record by April 27th. Over 15,000 merchants now accept foreign credit cards, while 2.4 million overseas visitors use mobile payment services. Foreign arrivals via Guangzhou ports rose 75% year-on-year.

Moving forward, Guangzhou plans to expand its tax refund network, establish "instant refund" demonstration zones and clusters, and refine services to enhance inbound travelers' experience.

Source: Lingnan on the Cloud

广交会“老外”买不停！广州离境退税日均开单量创历史新高

4月15日第137届广交会开幕后，不少境外采购商在广交会下完订单，广州市离境退税热度飙升。11天来，离境退税日均开单量创历史新高，较去年同期增加1.68倍。今年以来，广州离境退税销售额同比增长超1倍。

自2016年落地离境退税、2023年开展“即买即退”试点，广州离境退税商店不断拓展，现有349家，广百等10家商店为首批“即买即退”试点。第137届广交会开幕首日，广州太古汇率先上线离境退税商店“即买即退”线上一站式服务，25家品牌商户参与，旅客在门店用手机上传信息凭证，最快5分钟就能收到退税金，便捷度大幅提升。广百等试点商店也陆续上线“线上自助”退税模式。

消费数据同样亮眼。今年一季度，广州社会消费品零售总额2912.70亿元，同比增长3.5%，3月当月同比较快增长8.6%。广州白云机场一季度旅客吞吐量增长，国际航线旅客大幅增长26.1%。

广交会第一期境外采购商到会人数较第135届同期增长20.2%，截至4月27日，境外采购商到会人数创同期历史新高。此外，广州支持受理外卡的重点商户超1.5万户，超240万外籍来穗人员使用移动支付相关服务，广州口岸入境外国人同比增长75% 。

未来，广州将推动更多商店加入离境退税行列，打造“即买即退”集中示范区和集聚区，持续优化服务，提升入境旅客政策获得感。

文、图 | 记者 孙绮曼 通讯员 穗商务宣
视频来源 | 羊城派综合微信派
视频包装 | 黎杰文
翻译 | 钟佳
审校 | 林佳岱