Language barriers were a big challenge for D Souza when she visited rural China.
“We had to use a translation app as most people don’t know English,” she said.
She also had to download a slew of Chinese chat and pay apps.
“(We) had to download AMaps, Didi, Alipay, WeChat … and many of these apps are not available on the Apple App or Play Store in India,” she said, adding that VPNs also did not work all the time in China.
ADAPTING TO FOREIGN TOURISTS
Many of China’s most authentic cultural destinations remain remote, said Wu from Zhejiang University, often leaving foreign visitors with more accessible and commercialised sites as their main options.
Still, the growing influx of foreign tourists into rural China presents new opportunities for local communities and businesses, Wu said.
The challenge, however, will be helping smaller operators adapt their services to the needs of international visitors.
Major travel platforms such as Trip.com Group could help bridge that gap, she added, by offering rural businesses incentives and support to become more international-friendly.
This could include giving greater visibility to listings that accept foreign credit cards, provide bilingual services or offer certified cultural experiences.
“By embedding these criteria into search rankings, badges, or promotional campaigns, the platform can nudge thousands of small rural businesses toward international readiness,” Wu said.
Such an approach could allow growing demand from foreign travellers to drive improvements from the ground up.
“This creates a market-driven pathway where inbound tourist demand, channelled through the platform, directly pulls rural suppliers to upgrade their service standards,” she said.
