State-run newspaper China Daily and the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government have launched an English-language smart tourism platform aimed at international visitors, the publisher said in a statement on May 18.
The “China Bound • Suzhou” platform combines an English-language website with dedicated Suzhou city pages on the Alipay and WeChat mini-programs, positioning itself as a one-stop gateway for inbound travel to the eastern Chinese city.
The platform offers services ranging from itinerary planning to AI-powered assistance, targeting overseas travellers visiting Suzhou and the Jiangnan water towns south of the lower Yangtze.
The website is built around seven themed sections covering attractions, practical travel information, food, shopping, accommodation and events, showcasing the city’s classical gardens, canal-side streets and crafts.
Through the Alipay and WeChat mini-programs, international users can access transport and hotel bookings, translation, navigation, currency conversion and online payment support, addressing friction points that have long deterred foreign visitors to China, where domestic apps and cashless payment systems can be difficult for tourists to use.
The platform also features an AI travel assistant named Kuki, represented by a panda mascot, offering itinerary planning, travel information and interactive guidance.
China Bound has launched dedicated hashtags on its overseas social media channels covering Suzhou’s gardens, crafts, food, culture, architecture and shopping, in a bid to reach global audiences.
The launch comes as China steps up efforts to revive inbound tourism, which has lagged the recovery in domestic and outbound travel. Beijing has expanded visa-free entry to a growing list of countries and eased payment access for foreign cardholders, while individual cities have increasingly run their own international marketing campaigns.
Suzhou, around 100km west of Shanghai, is known for its UNESCO-listed classical gardens and historic canal network, and has long been promoted as a centrepiece of the Jiangnan tourism circuit.
Why it matters for the trade
For inbound operators, the platform tackles the practical barriers, payments, navigation, language, that have made independent travel to China hard to sell. By embedding services inside Alipay and WeChat, Suzhou is meeting foreign visitors where the friction actually sits. The city-level approach also signals that Chinese destinations are increasingly marketing direct to international travellers rather than relying on national campaigns.