China's 19 Measures Target Service Spending, Easier Travel and More Private Investment

A push for spending on services, from holidays to healthcare

China is directing a new package of 19 measures at culture, sports, tourism and healthcare, combining easier market entry with cheaper financing and steps to attract more foreign visitors. The Ministry of Commerce and several other departments issued the package as policymakers seek stronger domestic demand amid weak consumer confidence and an uneven recovery.

As of September 18, 2025, the effort includes a 500 billion yuan central bank relending facility for service consumption and elderly care, plans for about 50 cities to test new consumption formats, and roughly 15 cities focused on inbound spending. Outstanding loans across major service consumption sectors reached 2.79 trillion yuan at the end of July 2025, up from a year earlier, according to official briefings.

For households, the proposals reach into everyday decisions: whether a museum stays open after work, whether school holidays allow a family trip, and whether care services are available nearby. For foreign visitors, they address visas, payments, accommodation registration and mobile connectivity. For businesses, they promise fewer entry barriers and financing support.

The emphasis follows a decade of strong growth in spending on physical goods. With the property market weaker and households seeking better experiences, officials see room for services to contribute more to growth. Many service providers are small businesses, so greater spending can also support employment.

Early 2025 price data showed persistent pressure from weak price growth. Tourism and recreation performed better, especially during long holidays, but recovery varied by region and income. Beijing's response tackles both what businesses can provide and what households can afford and find time to use.

What the five policy themes cover

The 19 measures fall into five themes covering market access, service supply, travel, financing and local experimentation. Entry barriers are to be lowered in higher quality medical services, leisure and vacation travel, culture and entertainment, and selected internet related services. Private and foreign investors are among those the package seeks to encourage.

Museums and scenic sites are encouraged to extend opening hours. Cultural venues can test new exhibition formats and retain related revenue for staff incentives, linking the development of attractions to the people delivering the visitor experience. More international sporting events and activities open to the public are also part of the plan.

Public investment will support cultural venues, tourism infrastructure, sports facilities, elderly care and childcare. Funding tools include the central budget and special purpose bonds issued by local governments. Such bonds allow local authorities to borrow for designated projects rather than pay every construction cost immediately from current revenue.

Officials are also considering changes to school holiday schedules. The aim is practical: families need shared free time before they can travel together. Adjustments could create more opportunities for trips and redistribute demand away from the busiest periods.

The package connects consumption with daily living standards, including community childcare, elderly care and cultural activities outside working hours. Services are being treated as a central source of growth, with both commercial businesses and public facilities expected to contribute.

Visas and visitor services become spending tools

China plans to expand unilateral visa waivers in an orderly manner, improve regional policies for entry without a visa and offer visas allowing multiple entries over five years to more eligible travelers. Recent visa waivers for selected countries and expanded direct flights have already supported inbound travel.

The next stage also addresses the experience after arrival. Authorities want easier accommodation registration, better payment options and improved communication services. Airport transit, destination payments and language support are among the practical areas identified for improvement.

Foreign visitors frequently face difficulties with connectivity and payments. Local authorities are instructed to improve access to mobile networks and public Wi Fi at transport hubs and tourist sites. Reliable connections matter when a traveler needs to book a ticket, find a destination or complete a digital payment.

Many Chinese merchants depend on QR code payment platforms linked to domestic bank accounts. Recent payment rule changes allow greater acceptance of foreign bank cards through mobile apps and payment terminals. The new measures call for further improvements so visitors can pay for transport, meals and admission tickets more easily.

Longer stays and repeat visits can support hotels, transport operators, attractions, shops and restaurants. Later museum and venue hours can move some visits into evenings and weekdays, reducing crowding while creating more opportunities for ticket and retail sales. Easier entry into leisure and vacation services could also attract international operators, broaden choice and increase competition.

Culture and sport extend the visitor economy

Cultural policy in the package combines support for creative work with a commercial goal: attracting audiences who also spend on surrounding services. Officials want more high quality films, performing arts and other creative productions, with existing funds directed toward works capable of drawing larger audiences.

Venues have room to try different exhibition and event formats aimed at younger visitors and families. Revenue that can be retained for staff incentives gives institutions another reason to improve service and develop programs people want to attend.

Sports measures cover both international competitions and activities organized locally for broad public participation. Major events can bring visitors and sponsorship spending. Community races, leagues and fitness events can generate demand for travel, equipment and related services.

The benefits could reach beyond major cities. Smaller places hosting weekend activities may gain business for local accommodation, restaurants and transport, while large cities can build on the hospitality demand created by international competitions.

Healthcare opening targets gaps in care

Healthcare is a priority for easier market access, particularly services in the middle and upper price ranges, specialized treatment and higher quality care. The package seeks to reduce administrative barriers for private and foreign investment while improving financing for providers.

Demand is rising for elderly care, rehabilitation and the management of chronic illnesses. More capacity could help where waiting lists, long journeys or gaps in service quality limit access. Community childcare and elderly care projects also connect the spending push to recurring household needs.

Medical spending differs from a holiday or an evening at the theater. Families may postpone elective treatment because of cost or inconvenience. Interest subsidies for providers and more consumer financing options could spread payments for examinations, rehabilitation packages and wellness plans.

The plan also connects healthcare opening with international medical tourism and exhibitions. Officials want improved standards and more foreign participation, placing medical services alongside leisure travel as a potential source of inbound spending.

How the financing support works

The central bank's 500 billion yuan relending facility supports service consumption and elderly care. Relending means the central bank supplies funds to financial institutions against qualifying lending. Under this facility, selected institutions can obtain relending covering the full amount of eligible loans.

Banks have been urged to expand credit for catering, culture, tourism, education and household services. They are also expected to adapt lending products to small businesses and people working for themselves, whose financing needs may differ from those of large companies.

Interest subsidies are intended to reduce borrowing costs for service providers and eligible consumers. Qualified personal consumption loans can support spending such as travel packages, home improvements that make housing easier for older people to use, and sports or cultural subscriptions.

Auto finance companies are encouraged to support vehicle trade ins and flexible financing for dealers, helping sustain services connected with car purchases. Digital yuan trials are being incorporated into everyday transactions in some cities, while bank cards and mobile wallets remain the main payment channels for most consumers and visitors.

The 2.79 trillion yuan in outstanding loans across major service consumption sectors at the end of July 2025 suggests lending was growing, although the official briefings cited here gave no exact annual growth rate. Banks are also being asked to cooperate with retailers on promotions and use online commerce and livestream platforms to reach small merchants.

Credit support is intended to increase both willingness and ability to spend. For businesses, lower financing costs can make investment in facilities and service quality more affordable. For households, subsidies can reduce the cost of borrowing, while lenders still need to assess whether borrowers can repay.

Why pilot cities matter

About 50 cities are expected to test new service consumption settings and business formats. Another group of roughly 15 cities will concentrate on inbound consumption. Local experimentation is meant to identify approaches that can later be extended through provincial guidance.

City governments control many details that determine whether a service is convenient: transport schedules, venue permits, street festivals, district renewal and payment infrastructure. Pilot status can help coordinate administrative approvals, public investment and private projects.

Possible experiments include combined tickets for several attractions, cultural programs late at night, family passes linked to adjusted school schedules, and travel apps bringing together transport, bookings and payments. Cities can also coordinate museum upgrades, signs and translations across districts, and terminals accepting both domestic wallets and foreign cards.

Faster permits could support immersive exhibitions, outdoor fitness events and other new leisure formats. The intended result is a workable local model that other places can adopt, rather than a collection of projects operating without coordinated transport, payment or visitor services.

Connectivity makes the measures usable

Mobile payments, digital tickets and online bookings make connectivity part of service access. Wider smartphone use and access to financial services can remove obstacles to spending, provided people can connect and complete transactions.

The World Bank's Global Findex Database tracks how adults access and use financial services. Introducing its 2025 database and a new component covering mobile technology, the institution described their scope:

The Global Findex Database is the world's only demand-side survey on financial inclusion and a leading source of data on how adults around the world access and use financial services. The Global Findex 2025 introduces the Digital Connectivity Tracker, a new component that measures access to and use of mobile technology.

World Bank staff explain that combining financial access and connectivity data helps policymakers and businesses assess where digital infrastructure can support consumption. Better connections at tourist attractions, cultural venues and community sports facilities fit the practical needs addressed by China's package.

For foreign visitors, the payment reforms seek to reduce rejected transactions at terminals and failed attempts to register for apps. Clearer instructions for small merchants, simpler card acceptance fees and greater compatibility between QR code payment systems could help turn intended purchases into completed sales.

For domestic users, stronger connections in smaller cities and interfaces designed for older people could widen access to services. A booking system or payment app needs to be usable by the customer standing in front of it, as well as available in principle.

Trade friction strengthens the focus on home demand

China's services initiative comes alongside external pressures affecting business earnings, investment and confidence. European restrictions on Chinese medical devices and changes in United States tariffs form part of that setting.

The European Commission adopted a measure under the International Procurement Instrument restricting Chinese access to certain public tenders for medical devices. The Commission said it was responding to limited access for European suppliers to China's public procurement market for the same goods.

The European Commission, the body that adopted the measure, described its scope in these terms:

The European Commission has imposed an International Procurement Instrument measure that restricts the access of economic operators and medical devices originating in the People's Republic of China to the European Union public procurement market for medical devices.

The regulation applies across European Union member states and contains exceptions for overriding public interest or a lack of alternatives. It concerns access to public purchasing, an important market for medical device suppliers.

In April 2025, the White House changed tariff schedules in response to announced Chinese retaliation and to encourage alignment by other trading partners. The order raised duties on imports from China and increased de minimis duties, which concern small shipments, to curb circumvention.

The White House order described the Chinese announcement that preceded the changes:

On April 9, 2025, the PRC announced an 84 percent tariff on all U.S. goods, effective April 10, 2025.

Stronger domestic demand can provide a buffer when trade earnings are uncertain. Inbound tourism and international events also offer opportunities for direct contact between people while commercial disputes continue.

The timeline and the test of delivery

The measures bring together developments spanning the first nine months of 2025. The main dates and reference points are:

• Early 2025: Price data reflected persistent pressure from weak price growth.
• April 9, 2025: China announced an 84 percent tariff on all United States goods, according to the White House order.
• April 10, 2025: The announced Chinese tariff was to take effect.
• End of July 2025: Outstanding loans across major service consumption sectors reached 2.79 trillion yuan.
• September 18, 2025: The 19 measures formed part of China's effort to expand service spending and inbound consumption.

Households face practical constraints beyond price: limited free time, inconvenient opening hours and insufficient reasonably priced, quality services outside the largest cities. Later opening, regional events and better transport between cities could make weekend leisure easier. Greater competition could narrow service gaps in healthcare and services related to education.

Local budgets are tight, making the targeting of interest subsidies and special purpose bonds important. Better facilities and cheaper loans need to translate into consistent service. Connecting spending support to childcare and elderly care could provide a steadier base of demand when property or exports weaken.

Payment and visa changes also need to work at the point of use. A rejected card at a transport gate or a merchant unwilling to accept it can interrupt a purchase. Staff training, clear fee schedules and hotlines could help address those problems.

The package gives no dates here for selecting pilot cities, changing school holidays or implementing particular visa expansions. Over the next six to 12 months, useful measures of progress include inbound arrivals and spending per visitor, evening ticket sales, sports calendars, new clinic approvals, rehabilitation and elderly care capacity, and use of the relending facility.

Small business lending will help show how widely financing reaches providers. Consumers will also judge transparent prices, reliable service after purchase, crowd management, signs and digital guides. Those everyday details will determine how much easier it becomes to use the services being promoted.

The Bottom Line

• China's 19 measures target culture, sports, tourism, healthcare and other services to strengthen domestic demand.
• Private and foreign investors are to receive easier access to selected service sectors.
• Travel measures include wider visa waivers, more visas allowing multiple entries over five years, and better visitor payments and connectivity.
• Financing includes interest subsidies, a 500 billion yuan relending facility and public investment tools.
• About 50 cities will test consumption formats, with roughly 15 focused on inbound spending.
• Longer venue hours and possible school holiday adjustments aim to give households more usable leisure time.
• Delivery will be measured through visitor spending, service capacity, event activity and lending reaching providers.