Seventy-one years at its prime, Shanghai CITS embarks on a new chapter
On 27 July 2025, Shanghai CITS celebrated its seventy-first anniversary. To mark this special occasion, a simple yet solemn commemorative ceremony was held at the CITS Building, the very starting point of the company’s history. Like a vessel that has grown alongside China’s tourism industry, the company looked back on its journey to draw strength for the future.
Several former executives from the founding and formative years attended the event and met with the new generation of employees. The intergenerational exchange vividly reflected the enduring legacy and living heritage of a “China Time-Honored Brand.”
For seventy-one years, Shanghai CITS has been both a witness to and a driving force behind the development of Chinese tourism. From holding Shanghai’s business license number 001 to appointing one of the earliest nationally certified tour guides, from achieving ISO 9001 certification at an early stage to becoming one of the first publicly listed companies in the sector, numerous milestones demonstrate its unwavering pursuit of quality. Honors such as “National Demonstration Enterprise for Tourism Standardization” further underscore its growing professionalism.
Building on this new chapter, the company’s strategic positioning has evolved from a “China travel specialist” to an “Asia travel specialist.” Through innovative cross-border itineraries under the concept of “China plus neighboring countries,” Shanghai CITS opens new perspectives on the cultural diversity of Asia. The cultural initiative “Meet with Maestros” integrates knowledge and travel into a dialogue between landscape and learning. A customer satisfaction rate of 95 percent combined with a complaint rate of below 0.01 percent reflects the company’s high service standards and meticulous attention to detail.
All of this rests on the professionalism and dedication of every employee. Multilingual tour guides and specialists across all departments collectively uphold the strong reputation of the brand. Distinctions such as “National Model Youth Organization” and “Model Enterprise of Shanghai” testify to this team spirit.
Built on seventy-one years of history, Shanghai CITS is entering a new phase of dynamic development. From the banks of the Huangpu River to destinations around the world, the company will continue to build bridges between China and other nations through excellent service and to promote cultural exchange on a global scale.