After three years of dedicated efforts to establish an international consumption center, Beijing now ranks first nationally in various key indicators such as urban competitiveness, the number of Fortune 500 companies, and the added value of its service sector, according to a press briefing Wednesday.

Since the launch of the initiative to build the international consumption hub in 2021, Beijing has accelerated the aggregation of high-quality consumption resources, said Piao Xuedong, director of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau.

Over the past three years, the city has added 4 million square meters of commercial space. A total of 422 15-minute radius livelihood service circles have been established, effectively meeting the daily needs of over 8 million residents across 1,930 communities, Piao noted.

To enhance the shopping experience for international tourists, Beijing has pioneered the creation of the first payment service demonstration zone for foreign consumers. Over 1,000 departure tax refund stores have been added in the city's key commercial areas, the highest number in the country.

In the first half of this year, Beijing welcomed over 1.65 million international tourists, 2.6 times more than the same period last year.

Additionally, the city has established five cross-border e-commerce supervision sites to streamline the import of overseas goods into China. Leading cross-border e-commerce companies such as JD.com and okorder.com have set up nearly 100 overseas warehouses in almost 30 countries and regions worldwide.

The emergence of significant cultural and tourism projects, including the Universal Beijing Resort and three major cultural landmarks in the sub-center of Tongzhou district, has significantly boosted the city's potential in these sectors. 

Beijing now boasts five national tourism demonstration zones in Yanqing, Huairou, Pinggu, Changping, and Mentougou districts. It also has 14 national night economy demonstration zones and five national tourism blocks, according to Zhang Bin, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

In 2023, Beijing welcomed a record 329 million tourists, an increase of 80.2% compared to the previous year. Tourism revenue surged to nearly 585 billion yuan (US$80.5 billion), marking a year-on-year increase of 132.1%, Zhao said.

As the "Dual Olympics City," Beijing has also seen steady increases in the total scale of sports consumption, per capita sports consumption, and proportion of sports spending in residents' per capita consumption, ranking among the top in the nation, said Meng Qianghua, an official at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports. 

According to data from the bureau, from 2021 to 2023, Beijing's total annual sports consumption exceeded 70 billion yuan, with the per capita sports consumption surpassing 3,000 yuan. 

For the next step, the city will leverage its Olympics legacy by optimizing sports venues and enhancing branded events to transform the capital into an international sports hub, Meng said.

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