Departure tax refund applications surge 285% as inbound tourism rebounds

The number of overseas visitors claiming departure tax refunds in China jumped sharply in the first 11 months of the year, underscoring continued momentum in inbound travel, the State Taxation Administration said on Monday.

The tally of foreign travelers processing departure tax refunds rose 285 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, the administration said at a regular news briefing. Sales of tax-refundable goods and the total value of tax refunds both increased 98.8 percent year-on-year over the same period.

As of the end of November, China had 12,252 tax-refund shops nationwide, with more than 7,000 offering "immediate tax refund upon purchase" services, according to the administration.

The "immediate tax refund upon purchase" services were rolled out in May, helping meet rising demand among overseas visitors and further boosting China's inbound tourism market.