China has become one of the driving forces in the global outbound tourism industry. In 2019, the number of outbound tourists from China reached nearly *** million, almost three times as many as in 2010. However, the number of outbound tourists from China dropped to around **** million in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers started slowly picking up in 2023 after border restrictions were removed. In 2024, Chinese made a total of around *** million trips abroad, and the revenue of the Chinese tourism industry accounted for nearly ** percent of the GDP. Tourism boost during Chinese New Year Outbound tourism in China surged during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, with Chinese tourists embarking on approximately *** million overseas trips from February 10 to February 17. This uptick in tourism signifies the resurgence of the Spring Festival holidays as a peak season for global travel. Alipay revealed that its users' spending overseas during this period reached *** percent of the 2019 level, demonstrating a substantial increase of *** percent from 2023. Driving Asia Pacific’s travel boom Asia Pacific’s travel sector has recently experienced robust growth, with flight demand projected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, largely due to an increase in Chinese tourists. The visa-free policy introduced by several Southeast Asian countries to attract more visitors from China is a major contributor to this trend. The top destinations for Chinese tourists during the New Year holiday included Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

In 2024, approximately *** million travelers from mainland China went abroad. Around ** percent of them visited countries in Asia, whereas ** percent chose to go to Europe.

China Outbound Tourist data was reported at 154,632.500 Person-Time th in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 149,718.400 Person-Time th for 2018. China Outbound Tourist data is updated yearly, averaging 126,267.500 Person-Time th from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2019, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 154,632.500 Person-Time th in 2019 and a record low of 107,275.500 Person-Time th in 2014. China Outbound Tourist data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QAA: Tourism Industry Overview.

In the second quarter of 2025, approximately *** billion domestic tourist trips were made in China, exceeding the figure by around *** million from the same period in 2024, i.e. growing by approximately ** percent. Domestic travel during the pandemic Since the entire city of Wuhan was locked down during the initial outbreak of the pandemic in late 2019, China continued with stringent pandemic policies to minimize case numbers, implementing mass testing, contact tracing apps, mandatory quarantine, and imposed citywide lockdowns. This period witnessed a near cessation of international travel, and the annual number of domestic trips declined to around **** of what it was before the pandemic. However, with increasing cases and public dissent against the government's restrictive containment measures, China abandoned its zero-COVID policy and began to ease pandemic regulations in December 2022. Post-pandemic domestic tourism During the post-pandemic recovery, China’s tourism sector showed a robust resurgence. In early 2023, the domestic tourist market has returned to the pre-pandemic levels, reporting a total revenue of over *** billion yuan. In the first half of 2025, the domestic tourism revenue in China exceeded *** trillion yuan, ** percent of which was a contribution of the traveling urban residents.

China Tourism Revenue: Domestic data was reported at 5,754,300.000 RMB mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,913,310.000 RMB mn for 2023. China Tourism Revenue: Domestic data is updated yearly, averaging 946,649.296 RMB mn from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,754,300.000 RMB mn in 2024 and a record low of 17,000.000 RMB mn in 1990. China Tourism Revenue: Domestic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QAA: Tourism Industry Overview.

China Domestic Tourist data was reported at 5,615,000.000 Person-Time th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,891,000.000 Person-Time th for 2023. China Domestic Tourist data is updated yearly, averaging 1,712,000.000 Person-Time th from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2024, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,006,000.000 Person-Time th in 2019 and a record low of 280,000.000 Person-Time th in 1990. China Domestic Tourist data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.QAA: Tourism Industry Overview.

In 2024, approximately *** billion domestic trips were taken in China. This indicated an increase in domestic travel by around ** percent compared to the previous year. The largest proportion of domestic trips in China in 2024, around *** billion trips, were taken in the third quarter of the year.

China reported the highest outbound tourism expenditure worldwide in 2024, with Chinese travelers spending almost *** billion U.S. dollars on outbound trips that year. While this figure represented a sharp annual increase, it remained slightly below pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the United States and Germany followed in the ranking in 2024. How many tourists travel every year? In 2024, the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide totaled almost *** billion, recovering from the impact of COVID-19 and hitting an all-time high. Meanwhile, international tourism receipts worldwide also reached their highest figure to date in 2024, peaking at over *** trillion U.S. dollars. What are the most popular regions for inbound tourism worldwide? Both before and after the impact of the pandemic, Europe was the global region with the highest number of international tourist arrivals. In 2024, the number of inbound arrivals in Europe exceeded *** million. Comparatively, Asia and the Pacific, which recorded the second-highest figure that year, reported nearly *** million inbound tourist arrivals.

According to a 2025 survey conducted in March among Chinese travelers, ************** was the most attractive region to travel to when it came to long-haul travel. Europe was the second most-chosen destination that Chinese travelers were interested in.

 In 2024, approximately *** million visitors from China arrived in the United States, representing a significant increase from the previous year. Before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, around **** million arrivals were recorded for the year 2019. Tourism in the United States In 2024, the United States had more than ** million international visitors, where the majority of visitors to the United States came from the North American countries Canada and Mexico, with China being the fourth biggest source of Asian tourists, after India, Japan, and South Korea. However, in terms of travel spending in the United States, in 2023, Chinese tourists were estimated to have spent more than any other Asian country, explaining the increasingly important role played by Chinese tourists among other international tourists. Outbound tourism from China In the past decade, the number of outbound Chinese tourists has soared threefold, with the vast majority of trips being made for private purpose. The United States was one of the popular international travel destinations among Chinese a few years back, despite Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam still being very popular potentially due to the shorter distance to travel. Chinese tourists also became more willing to spend when they travel. The share of outbound tourism expenditure in China’s GDP exceeded *** percent for several years before the coronavirus pandemic.

China Domestic Tourist: Rural data was reported at 1,245,000.000 Person-Time th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,133,000.000 Person-Time th for 2023. China Domestic Tourist: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging 904,000.000 Person-Time th from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,535,000.000 Person-Time th in 2019 and a record low of 319,450.000 Person-Time th in 1994. China Domestic Tourist: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QAD: Domestic Tourist.

In a survey conducted in June 2025 among Chinese outbound travel agents, around ** percent of respondents said that outbound travel business in China in the first half of 2025 was better than in 2024. Another ** percent thought that the business status was about the same as in the previous year.

Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Hainan: Sanya data was reported at 86,410.000 RMB mn in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 88,722.000 RMB mn for 2023. Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Hainan: Sanya data is updated yearly, averaging 19,634.500 RMB mn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2024, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88,722.000 RMB mn in 2023 and a record low of 2,469.500 RMB mn in 2002. Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Hainan: Sanya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Sanya Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QRB: Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Prefecture Level City.

Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Shanghai data was reported at 497,264.000 RMB mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 367,811.000 RMB mn for 2023. Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Shanghai data is updated yearly, averaging 280,950.000 RMB mn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2024, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 497,264.000 RMB mn in 2024 and a record low of 99,380.000 RMB mn in 2002. Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Shanghai data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QRB: Tourism Revenue: Domestic: Prefecture Level City.

China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Urban data was reported at 4,929,300.000 RMB mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,178,054.000 RMB mn for 2023. China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 723,379.000 RMB mn from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,929,300.000 RMB mn in 2024 and a record low of 84,821.000 RMB mn in 1994. China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QAD: Domestic Tourism Revenue.

China Holiday Tourism: Spring Festival: Number of Tourist: Entry-Exit: Outbound data was reported at 3,600.000 Person-Time th in 2024. China Holiday Tourism: Spring Festival: Number of Tourist: Entry-Exit: Outbound data is updated yearly, averaging 3,600.000 Person-Time th from Dec 2024 (Median) to 2024, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,600.000 Person-Time th in 2024 and a record low of 3,600.000 Person-Time th in 2024. China Holiday Tourism: Spring Festival: Number of Tourist: Entry-Exit: Outbound data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QFA: Holiday Tourism: Spring Festival.

In 2024, around 765 million people went traveling in China during the National Day holiday in early October. The National Day, celebrated on October 1 in commemoration of the founding of the People's Republic of China, turns into a week-long holiday, also known as the "Golden Week".

Hong Kong SAR (China) Tourism Receipts: Quarterly: Same-day Visitors data was reported at 27,863.674 HKD mn in Dec 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 19,666.595 HKD mn for Sep 2024. Hong Kong SAR (China) Tourism Receipts: Quarterly: Same-day Visitors data is updated quarterly, averaging 16,317.172 HKD mn from Jun 2023 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27,863.674 HKD mn in Dec 2024 and a record low of 7,268.492 HKD mn in Mar 2024. Hong Kong SAR (China) Tourism Receipts: Quarterly: Same-day Visitors data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Hong Kong Tourism Board. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR (China) – Table HK.Q021: Tourism Receipt: Inbound Tourism (Quarterly).

China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Rural data was reported at 825,000.000 RMB mn in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 735,256.000 RMB mn for 2023. China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging 294,990.000 RMB mn from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 974,193.000 RMB mn in 2019 and a record low of 17,530.000 RMB mn in 1994. China Domestic Tourism Revenue: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QAD: Domestic Tourism Revenue.

Domestic Tourist: Beijing data was reported at 367,587.000 Person-Time th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 327,000.000 Person-Time th for 2023. Domestic Tourist: Beijing data is updated yearly, averaging 162,570.000 Person-Time th from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2024, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 367,587.000 Person-Time th in 2024 and a record low of 63,200.000 Person-Time th in 1995. Domestic Tourist: Beijing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Tourism Sector – Table CN.QRB: Domestic Tourist: Prefecture Level City.