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".

Tourist Arrivals in China increased to 2694 Tens of Thousands in 2024 from 1378.38 Tens of Thousands in 2023. This dataset provides - China Tourist Arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

According to a 2025 survey conducted in March among Chinese travelers, around 33 percent of respondents had either already traveled outside mainland China in 2025 or had an outbound trip booked. In contrast, only five percent of respondents stated they definitely would not travel abroad this year.

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 2018, over ************ South Korean visitors traveled to China (measured in person-times). South Korea remained the most important international source market for China's tourism industry. Japan, Russia, and the United States followed with around *********** person-times. The figures included all visitors ranging from business travelers to people visiting friends and relatives. A significant proportion of overseas travelers visited more than **** cities in China.

China’s inbound tourism industry Over the past decade, China’s revenue from inbound tourism has been a cornerstone contribution to its foreign exchange income despite some fluctuations resulting from international relations. By improving its domestic travel environment, including among others more convenient public transportation and high-speed railways, improved hotel facilities, and refurbished tourist attractions, China managed to attract significant numbers of overseas visitors, with a record-breaking *********** international arrivals in 2019. With COVID-19 gripping the tourism industry worldwide since early 2020, China’s inbound market was no exception. As the vaccination rollouts and other measures mitigated the impact on its domestic travel economy, international tourism in China remains stagnated due to high infection rates outside of China and recurring virus variance. A sketch of China-interested travelers Of the foreign visitors to China, almost **** were aged between 25 and 44 years as observed in 2019. As for their destinations, in the same year, Guangdong province welcomed the largest number of foreign tourists, with approximately *********** arrivals registered for an overnight travel stay. Guangdong’s innovation incubator, Shenzhen, led the most popular cities list for foreign travelers, attracting more than ********** international overnight and same-day visitors in 2017.

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.

Historical dataset showing China tourist spending by year from 1997 to 2004.

In 2024, the total revenue from tourism in China amounted to roughly *** trillion yuan. 2020, 2021, and 2022 revenues were estimated to be nearly completely generated by domestic tourism, as strict travel restrictions led to a halt in inbound tourism since February 2020. China in the global tourism industry The global tourism industry had contributed around ten billion U.S. dollars annually to the GDP worldwide over the recent years. The term tourism in this context includes travel for recreation, leisure, business or other purposes. As an interlinked industry, tourism has an impact on several other industries such as retail, accommodation, and transportation. In the past few years, China has been the world’s largest travel and tourism economy, with a global market share surpassing the United States. Tourism in China With rising standards of living, the tourism industry in China experienced a substantial growth spur over the last decade. The Chinese tourism industry reported a **** percent increase in revenue to around *** trillion yuan in 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic. Being the fourth largest country in the world by land area, China provides a wide range of natural, historical and cultural sites. China’s tourism industry consists of domestic and international tourism. Around *** billion domestic trips were made in 2024. The number of foreign tourists visiting China that year ranged at only around *** million.The coronavirus pandemic had a strong effect on tourism in China. While only few foreign passengers were allowed to enter the country, the number of domestic travelers has also dropped more than half in 2020 and started slowly increasing again in 2021. In early 2023, after almost three years of closed borders, China finally reopened the country for international travel.

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.

Key information about China Visitor Arrivals

• China Visitor Arrivals recorded 4,096,200 person in Feb 2016, compared with 4,630,000 person in the previous month
• China Visitor Arrivals data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2000 to Feb 2016
• The data reached an all-time high of 5,204,200 person in Oct 2015 and a record low of 1,645,100 person in May 2003

In 2024, international arrivals in China amounted to nearly *** million. This indicated an almost ** percent increase compared to the previous year, however, the numbers were still below the pre-pandemic level. Among all international arrivals, almost *** million were from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

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.

China Tourism Revenue: Foreign Currency: Year to Date data was reported at 94.200 USD bn in Dec 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 52.960 USD bn for Dec 2023. China Tourism Revenue: Foreign Currency: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 20.358 USD bn from Jan 2001 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 220 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 131.300 USD bn in Dec 2019 and a record low of 1.242 USD bn in Jan 2001. China Tourism Revenue: Foreign Currency: Year to Date 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. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

China's tourism earnings rose 11.1 percent from a year earlier to CNY 6.63 trillion in 2019, compared with 2018's 10.5 percent increase, which was the slowest pace of growth since 2008. Revenue from tourism accounted for about 11 percent of GDP in 2019. This dataset provides - China Tourism Revenues- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

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.

Hong Kong HK: International Tourism: Number of Departures data was reported at 91,758,000.000 Person in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 89,082,000.000 Person for 2015. Hong Kong HK: International Tourism: Number of Departures data is updated yearly, averaging 80,682,000.000 Person from Dec 1998 (Median) to 2016, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91,758,000.000 Person in 2016 and a record low of 47,594,000.000 Person in 1998. Hong Kong HK: International Tourism: Number of Departures data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International outbound tourists are the number of departures that people make from their country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than a remunerated activity in the country visited. The data on outbound tourists refer to the number of departures, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips from a country during a given period is counted each time as a new departure.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

In 2024, international visitors in China spent around **** billion U.S. dollars, nearly ** percent more than in the previous year. While the international tourism revenue as well as the number of overseas visitors in China grew significantly in 2024, the number still stayed below the pre-pandemic level.

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.

MO: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data was reported at 30.032 USD bn in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 30.969 USD bn for 2015. MO: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data is updated yearly, averaging 14.879 USD bn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2016, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.133 USD bn in 2013 and a record low of 4.205 USD bn in 2002. MO: International Tourism: Receipts: for Travel Items data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Tourism Statistics. International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Tourism Organization, Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files.; Gap-filled total;

China Visitor Arrival: Overnight: Year to Date data was reported at 65,730.000 Person-Time th in Dec 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 62,900.000 Person-Time th for Dec 2018. China Visitor Arrival: Overnight: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 24,558.000 Person-Time th from Jan 2000 (Median) to Dec 2019, with 201 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 65,730.000 Person-Time th in Dec 2019 and a record low of 2,300.600 Person-Time th in Jan 2000. China Visitor Arrival: Overnight: Year to Date 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. [COVID-19-IMPACT]