Beijing To Launch Travel Pass For Foreign Visitors

Beijing, China – In a bid to enhance the convenience of its public transportation system for foreign visitors, Beijing is set to introduce an all-in-one city travel pass.

The new Beijing Pass will make subway travel easier for international visitors, enabling them to use their international bank cards to purchase the pass at the city’s seven railway stations and two airports connected to subway lines. City authorities announced on Wednesday that on-site testing is currently underway at subway stations to ensure a smooth launch.

Wu Liyun, a professor at the China Academy of Culture and Tourism of Beijing International Studies University, highlighted that the Beijing Pass will allow foreign visitors to explore the city more freely without encountering payment hurdles on public transportation.

Ronan, a French international student in Beijing, welcomed the initiative. “My friends who visited Beijing couldn’t use Alipay for public transportation because they didn’t have Chinese phone numbers. Alipay is quite convenient for foreigners living in big cities, but for tourists, the Beijing Pass will be a better option,” he said.

In addition to simplifying payment services, Beijing Subway has started installing multilingual translation devices at eight stations frequently used by foreign travelers, including Tian’anmen West on Line 1, to provide more accurate and detailed information about subway schedules. Moreover, bilingual announcements in Chinese and English have been introduced at major railway stations, airports, and subway stations near tourist attractions.

Data from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection indicates that as of Monday, the number of entries and exits at Beijing’s ports has exceeded 10 million this year, surpassing last year’s total. Among these, over 1.2 million were inbound foreign visitors, marking a 210 percent year-on-year increase.

Other major Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, are also making public transportation more accessible for international visitors by introducing similar passes and allowing taxi fares to be paid with international credit cards.