China Travel Assistance

Expert Travel Planning for China Factory Tours

Traveling to China to tour and inspect factories is essential to building relationships with factory stakeholders, but visiting China is easier said than done. It requires extensive planning, and businesses new to China travel are surprised by the amount of time it takes to create a streamlined, effective travel plan. 
Fortunately, our clients enjoy the benefit of Hifida’s premier travel assistance to China. We remove the hassle of planning, we make sure all appropriate documents are in place for hassle-free travel, and our clients will have a committed Hifida expert that is fully-bilingual in English and Mandarin.

Why Visit Your China Factory?

While our clients aren’t required to visit their factory in China, Hifida encourages it, when possible. There’s a lot of benefits to personally visiting a factory you’ve partnered with, like:

• Building a personal relationship with factory stakeholders (like managers or owners). Strong business relationships make it more likely the factory will prioritize your work, because traveling to the factory shows you’re a serious customer and serious about your business.
• Address quality issues: Hifida will work with clients to communicate in-person with suppliers on improving the existing quality of products.
• Price negotiation: Hifida will also work with clients to negotiate, in person, with factory stakeholders. This includes lowering prices and improving payment terms.
• Lead time negotiation: In addition to negotiating prices, Hifida will help clients negotiate lead times during their visit. Production times can be adjusted, and an in-person visit could sway a factory to prioritize your production needs. 

China Visa Registration

Hifida experts travel to China regularly, so we understand the ins and outs of China visa registration. Required documents include:

• Invitation letters (something Hifida will prepare on your behalf)
• Photograph
• Copy of passport bio page
• Business cover letter
• China Visa Service Center Order Form
• Visa application form

China Factory Tour Planning

It’s common for businesses to partner with multiple factories, which makes planning a tour alone challenging. Hifida plans factory tours for our clients, from start to finish, so clients can see production and meet managers or owners without the headache of extensive planning and communication. 

Travel Accommodation Planning

In addition to planning factory tours, Hifida can plan all required accommodations to make your trip to China a success. This includes booking flights, trains, hotels, and any other accommodation that you may want or need during your stay. 

China Tour Example

Here’s an example of how your trip to China can look.

• We planned a full China factory tour for a client who was sourcing machinery for manufacturing chocolate food productsin the United States. 
• Hifida booked tours of the factories that made chocolate machinery, vertical packing machinery, and horizontal flow wrap machinery.
• Our experts translated for him on a day-to-day basis, which allowed for more productive conversations with factory owners and communicating with engineers.
• Hifida booked all of their flights, hotels, trains, and other transportation needs to make for an easy, seamless experience.

China Travel Assistance Fees

Hifida’s travel assistance fees are offered a la carte and at a flat fee. For example, if you only need help booking factory tours, but plan on booking accommodations and registering for a visa yourself, you will only be charged for the factory tours being booked. If you need the entire suite of travel assistance services we offer, we’ll provide an upfront, flat fee before we begin booking. 

Do I have to travel to China in order to source products through Hifida?

No, you do not need to travel to China to tour a factory in order to source products through Hifida. Our experts are able to handle the entire sourcing process without you ever needing to visit China, and our sourcing services include:

• Finding and vetting factories that are a good match for your business needs
• Handling negotiations
• Inspecting factories and monitoring quality control during production

If possible, we encourage clients to visit the factories themselves, since it can help with negotiations and help foster positive, long-lasting relationships with factory managers and owners. 

What if I only need help with part of my travel to China?

Hifida offers our China travel assistance as an a la carte service, meaning we’ll take the reins of whatever part of traveling to China you don’t want to handle. Maybe you only need help registering for a visa, or maybe you just need help booking tours at your partner factories. Regardless of how much of our China travel services you need, Hifida is happy to help.     

I would love to visit a China factory, but I don’t have time to plan travel. Can Hifida handle all aspects of travel planning on my behalf?

Yes! While our travel services are offered a la carte, Hifida can plan the entirety of your China trip. This includes:

• Visa registration
• Booking flights, hotels, trains, etc.
• Scheduling factory tours
• Anything else you may need to have a successful trip

How much does it cost for Hifida to plan travel to China for factory tours?

The cost of Hifida planning your China travel will depend on which services you need us to perform. We offer our services a la carte, and all travel-related services are offered at a flat rate. If you’d like to know the costs of specific travel services, we encourage you to contact us. 

Do I need more than a passport to travel to China for business purposes?

Yes. In addition to a passport, you’ll need to register for a travel visa. For business travel, you’ll need a Business M Visa, which requires multiple pieces of documentation to receive. You (and whomever may be traveling with you), will need to have this visa in order to perform factory tours in China. 

There are several other pieces of documentation you’ll need as well, including a letter of invitation. Businesses traveling to China need to start preparing weeks in advance to make sure there aren’t issues traveling.

If you prefer, Hifida can also handle the process of gathering and submitting required documentation for a Business M Visa for China, a letter of invitation, and all other documents on your behalf. 

If I see an issue in a factory I’ve partnered with during my tour, how do I address the issue?

Part of the benefit of personally visiting a factory is to show factory stakeholders you’re a serious customer. In doing so, it’s far more likely that issues or concerns you bring up will be addressed by the factory (or a comfortable middle ground can be met). 

If there’s an aspect of the production you’re dissatisfied with, let Hifida know, and we can work with you and the factory to find a resolution. Having a strong business relationship with factory managers and owners can make negotiating points like the following easier and more productive:

• Creating better payment terms
• Landing on better overall pricing
• Improving production speed

My business is interested in our partnered supplier creating a new product for us. Is an in-person visit an appropriate time to discuss this with the factory?

Yes. If you want to develop a new product (or even customize an existing product that the factory makes), an in-person visit is the perfect time to have this discussion. As we’ve mentioned, visiting the factory yourself is a great way to show the factory stakeholders that you are focused and committed to establishing a real partnership with them. 

So, visiting the factory in person will show them that you’re a serious client, and your desire to customize or create a new product will be taken far more seriously. That can open the door to better lead times, better pricing, and overall better cooperation from the factory. 

Of course, Hifida will still be at your side, guiding negotiations and facilitating communication, so you won’t have to go through the process on your own.