Shanghai upgrades city services for CIIE

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02:40

After months of preparation for the first ever China International Import Expo (CIIE), Shanghai is ready to welcome thousands of international guests.

A special lane dedicated to the event was set aside at the Shanghai airport's immigration inspection, and a team of 180 officers who can speak a combined total of 12 languages, including English, French, German and Japanese, have volunteered to help.

Immigration inspection officer Du Wei directing an expo-goer to a special lane dedicated to the CIIE at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. /CGTN Photo

Seven easy-to-spot expo service centers have opened in Shanghai's two international airports – four in Pudong International Airport and three in Hongqiao International Airport.

Aside from placing volunteers on standby to answer questions, the service centers also have expo guide maps, which provide a wealth of information including floor maps of the exhibition venue, how to get there using various means of transport, and from the 1,711 hotels recommended by the city's tourism administration.

A CIIE service center at Hongqiao International Airport. /CGTN Photo

“Because there will be a large number of guests arriving in Shanghai. We want to impress people with hospitality and make them feel welcome by the import expo and by Shanghai,” said Zhong Xiaomin, deputy director-general of the CIIE bureau.

A hotel in Shanghai running a medical emergency response test. /ICS Photo

The city's hotels have also stepped up their safety measures and level of service, by running emergency tests such as fire or intrusion, and intensive service behavior training. A price ceiling was placed by the municipal government on the city's hotels in September, which forbids hotels to charge more during the expo than what they did in the same period last year.

Shanghai's taxi drivers attending a launch ceremony for clean-energy cabs. /CGTN Photo

In the meantime, more than 230 traffic signboards have been set up along expressways so drivers will be able to find the venue more easily, and 350 clean-energy taxis and 440 electrical buses have been put into use.

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