Gitnux/Report 2026

China Tourism Statistics

China’s tourism surge keeps rewriting the comeback headline, with 6.57 billion domestic trips in 2023 and tourism revenue reaching 6.7 trillion yuan, while outbound type trips keep reshaping demand through high speed rail and family travel. Track how big ticket holidays and city icons stack up against inbound arrivals rising toward 35.5 million in 2023 and what that means for where China is headed next.
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June 21, 2026Updated
China Tourism Statistics
David KowalskiWritten by David Kowalski·Edited by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
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Domestic travel trips in China soared to 6.57 billion last year, generating 5.8 trillion yuan in revenue. The nation's inbound tourism recovery is also accelerating, with international arrivals more than tripling. The data reveals a sector experiencing a powerful but uneven resurgence.

Key Takeaways

  • China's domestic tourist trips reached 6.57 billion in 2023, up 140.2% YoY
  • Domestic tourism revenue in 2023 hit 5.8 trillion yuan, up 201.9% YoY
  • During 2024 Spring Festival, domestic trips totaled 699 million
  • In 2023, China received 35.5 million international inbound tourists, marking a 193.8% increase year-on-year
  • Foreign visitors to China numbered 28.82 million in the first three quarters of 2023
  • In 2019, pre-pandemic, China hosted 145.3 million inbound foreign tourists
  • Great Wall annual visitors: 10 million in 2023
  • Forbidden City daily average visitors: 80,000 in peak 2023
  • Zhangjiajie National Park tourists 2023: 70 million
  • China's tourism revenue reached 6.7 trillion yuan in 2023, up 197.3% YoY
  • Inbound tourism revenue in 2023: 134.52 billion yuan, 194.6% growth
  • Domestic tourism revenue 2023: 5.8 trillion yuan
  • China has over 5,000 travel agencies as of 2023
  • High-speed rail network length: 42,000 km by end 2023, aiding tourism
  • Civil aviation airports: 254 in 2023

China’s domestic tourism surged to 6.57 billion trips in 2023 as spending hit 5.8 trillion yuan.

Related reading

01 · Category

Domestic Tourism Statistics19 stats

01
China's domestic tourist trips reached 6.57 billion in 2023, up 140.2% YoY
02
Domestic tourism revenue in 2023 hit 5.8 trillion yuan, up 201.9% YoY
03
During 2024 Spring Festival, domestic trips totaled 699 million
04
2023 National Day Golden Week saw 744 million domestic trips
05
Domestic tourism per capita spending in 2023 averaged 1,142.7 yuan
06
In 2023, urban residents made 2.94 billion domestic trips, rural 3.63 billion
07
Hainan domestic tourists: 41.36 million in H1 2023
08
During 2023 Labor Day holiday, 274 million domestic trips, revenue 166.9B yuan
09
Beijing domestic visitors in 2023: over 280 million
10
Shanghai domestic tourists 2023: 387 million person-times
11
Guangdong domestic trips 2023: 1.2 billion
12
In 2022, domestic tourism accounted for 97% of total trips in China
13
2024 Dragon Boat Festival domestic trips: 119 million, up 11.2%
14
Rural tourism visits in 2023: 3.2 billion person-times
15
Summer vacation 2023 domestic trips: expected 8 billion
16
In 2023, high-speed rail trips for tourism: 2.5 billion passengers
17
Family tours accounted for 45% of domestic trips in 2023 holidays
18
Cultural tourism domestic trips in 2023: 4.5 billion
19
In 2023, domestic tourism recovery rate reached 88.6% of 2019 levels
Interpretation

Domestic Tourism Statistics Interpretation

While China’s domestic tourism is sprinting past pre-pandemic numbers with the collective urgency of a holiday train stampede, the real story is a nation on the move, with billions of trips proving that rediscovering home is both a economic engine and a cultural pastime.

02 · Category

Inbound Tourism Statistics20 stats

01
In 2023, China received 35.5 million international inbound tourists, marking a 193.8% increase year-on-year
02
Foreign visitors to China numbered 28.82 million in the first three quarters of 2023
03
In 2019, pre-pandemic, China hosted 145.3 million inbound foreign tourists
04
South Korea was the top source market for inbound tourists to China with 4.36 million visitors in 2023
05
In 2023, visa-free entries to China reached 8.58 million, up 375.6% year-on-year
06
Japan sent 2.01 million tourists to China in 2023
07
The United States contributed 1.58 million inbound tourists to China in 2023
08
In H1 2024, China saw 14.6 million foreign tourist visits, up 52.7% YoY
09
Russia became the top inbound market in early 2024 with over 1 million visitors
10
In 2023, international air passengers to/from China reached 72.3% of 2019 levels
11
Malaysia granted visa-free entry saw 100,000+ Chinese tourists in first month of 2024, but reciprocal for inbound
12
In 2022, inbound tourists totaled 31.64 million
13
Hong Kong residents visiting mainland China: 40.16 million trips in 2023
14
Macao residents to mainland: 14.51 million trips in 2023
15
In 2023, 17.82 million trips by Taiwan residents to mainland China
16
Average daily inbound tourists in China reached 80,000 in Dec 2023
17
In Q1 2024, foreign arrivals surged 3.2 times YoY to 7.7 million
18
Singapore-Malaysia visa-free boosted Chinese outbound but inbound from ASEAN up 4x
19
In 2023, China eased visas for 11 countries, leading to 152% growth in entries
20
Europe inbound to China in 2023: Germany 0.45M, UK 0.38M, France 0.37M
Interpretation

Inbound Tourism Statistics Interpretation

While China's tourism recovery is impressively sprinting—having tripled arrivals from key markets and soaring visa-free entries by 375%—it's still doing its post-pandemic stretches, with total international numbers only reaching about a quarter of its 2019 Olympic-level performance.

More related reading

04 · Category

Tourism Revenue and Economic Impact20 stats

01
China's tourism revenue reached 6.7 trillion yuan in 2023, up 197.3% YoY
02
Inbound tourism revenue in 2023: 134.52 billion yuan, 194.6% growth
03
Domestic tourism revenue 2023: 5.8 trillion yuan
04
Tourism contributed 11.04% to China's GDP in 2022
05
In 2019, total tourism revenue was 6.6 trillion yuan
06
Spring Festival 2024 tourism revenue: 425.85 billion yuan from 699M trips
07
Hotel industry revenue in China 2023: over 400 billion yuan
08
E-commerce tourism spending 2023: 1.4 trillion yuan
09
Beijing tourism revenue 2023: 431.6 billion yuan
10
Hainan tourism revenue 2023: 150 billion yuan
11
Tourism direct employment in China: 80 million jobs in 2022
12
Golden Week 2023 revenue: 669.2 billion yuan from 826M trips
13
Inbound spending per tourist 2023: avg 5,040 yuan
14
Duty-free shopping in Hainan 2023: 19.2 billion yuan
15
Aviation tourism revenue contribution: 12% of total airline revenue
16
Cultural tourism market size 2023: 3.5 trillion yuan
17
Rural tourism revenue 2023: 1.2 trillion yuan
18
Online homestay bookings revenue 2023: 200 billion yuan
19
Theme park revenue 2023: 120 billion yuan
20
Tourism forex earnings target for 2024: 800 billion yuan
Interpretation

Tourism Revenue and Economic Impact Interpretation

While domestic tourism roared back with vengeance, filling everything from theme parks to rural guesthouses, the international market remains the conspicuously empty seat at China's lavish economic banquet.
Reference

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David Kowalski. (2026, February 27). China Tourism Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-tourism-statistics
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David Kowalski. "China Tourism Statistics." Gitnux, 27 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/china-tourism-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "China Tourism Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/china-tourism-statistics.

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