China's tech tourism boom reshapes inbound travel and shopping

China's innovation-driven experiences are becoming a new attraction for overseas visitors, with robots, new energy vehicles and autonomous driving technologies joining traditional landmarks on travel itineraries in Shanghai.

Customized "tech tours" are allowing international travelers to experience China's technological advances firsthand. At a robotics experience center in Shanghai operated by Chinese robotics company Unitree Robotics, foreign visitors gathered to watch and operate a robotic dog performing actions including walking, jumping and backflips. The center, Unitree's first embodied intelligence experience center in Asia, has received more than 1,000 overseas visitors since opening in June, with some international tour groups listing it as a must-visit destination.

The popularity of "tech tourism" is also changing what international visitors buy in China. Chinese-made technology products, including AI translation glasses and smart massage devices, are becoming popular souvenirs, creating new consumption scenarios that combine tourism with technology shopping.

At a Shanghai optical store, a Spanish visitor tested AI translation glasses and spoke with reporters in Spanish without assistance from an interpreter.

"Coming to China to see the future" has become a popular phrase among overseas social media creators. Many foreign influencers have visited China to experience, review and purchase technology products, with related videos gaining attention online. At a shopping mall on Shanghai's Nanjing Road, smart glasses, AI chess robots and translation earbuds have attracted many overseas shoppers. The mall's management said overseas visitors sometimes account for about half of its customers, prompting adjustments to store displays and services.

From January to September 2026, Shanghai's departure tax refund sales increased 52% year on year, while the number of tax refund application forms issued rose 2.7 times. Sales under the "refund upon purchase" policy grew 1.4 times, and the city had more than 2,700 registered tax refund stores. During the National Day holiday, departure tax refund sales increased 47% year on year, while "refund upon purchase" sales rose 110%.

Driven by visa-free policies and China's broad range of industrial applications, "tech tourism" and "tech shopping" are expected to expand further, offering global visitors a closer look at China's innovation landscape.