The Chinese government announced on Dec 8 that in the first 11 months of this year, the number of foreign travelers claiming departure tax refunds (离境退税) increased by 285 percent compared to the previous year. By the end of November, there were 12,252 tax refund stores across China, over 7,000 of which offered “instant tax refunds (即买即退)”, meaning foreign tourists can get their refund right away in the store. Visitors can get back up to 9 percent on purchases over 200 yuan, with a maximum refund of 20,000 yuan.