China is on course to become the world’s largest travel and tourism economy within years, after the sector grew nearly 10% in 2025 to $1.8 trillion and inbound arrivals rose three times faster than the global average, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said on June 3.
The country welcomed more than 68mn international visitors last year, a 15.5% rise on 2024 and almost three times the global growth rate of 5.4%, according to the council’s 2026 Economic Impact Research, sponsored by Chase Travel. Visitor spending climbed 10.5% to $135bn, above pre-pandemic levels and well ahead of the 3.2% global average. China added 9mn arrivals over the year, the largest increase of any market.
The wider sector expanded 9.9% to $1.8tn, more than double the 4.1% global average, and helped drive Asia-Pacific to 8.1% growth, making it the fastest-growing tourism region in the world.
Visa policy has been central to the recovery. China’s facilitation measures now cover more than 50 countries, with visa-free stays of up to 30 days and transit stays of up to 10 days. Arrivals from visa-exempt markets have risen fivefold since 2020, including an 18% gain in 2025 alone.
The government has paired the visa changes with investment in entry biometrics, digital payment platforms and transport. Spending on air connectivity and high-speed rail has improved links between major international gateways and secondary cities, spreading arrivals more evenly across the country, while new tourism zones, cultural attractions and theme parks have broadened the offering.
WTTC president and chief executive Gloria Guevara presented the findings during a visit to China, where she said reform was feeding directly into demand.
“China’s recovery shows how targeted policy reforms can translate directly into stronger inbound demand and sustained growth. Continued progress in visa facilitation will be essential to sustaining this momentum,” Guevara said.
The council expects growth of 5.3% in 2026 and average annual growth of 6.5% over the next decade, taking the sector to nearly $3.5tn by 2036. Tourism supported 84.6mn jobs in China in 2025 and is forecast to exceed 103mn by 2036, which the WTTC said would account for one in every five new tourism jobs created worldwide over the period.
China is also set to reclaim its place as the world’s largest outbound travel market, with spending forecast to rise 22.5% to nearly $280bn in 2026, overtaking the United States. It already ranks second worldwide in business travel, with $192bn in spending.
The WTTC’s Economic Impact Research is produced with Oxford Economics. The council said its 2026 forecasts were based on economic and geopolitical conditions at the time of publication, including assumptions on inflation, energy prices, consumer demand and regional developments, and could change.
Why it matters for the trade
A 22.5% outbound jump to nearly $280bn in 2026, enough to retake the top spot from the United States, means Chinese travellers are again the single largest pool of spend in the global market. Destinations that built China-facing capacity through the lean years, with language support, payment integration and visa access, are positioned to capture a disproportionate share as that spend returns.
Brits are among a few countries, along with EU countries, expected to increase visits to destinations across China, with Beijing a popular destination for future tourism trade.
The inbound story carries a separate lesson. Growth running at three times the global rate, driven largely by visa liberalisation and fivefold arrivals from visa-exempt markets, shows how directly access policy converts into volume. For governments weighing their own visa regimes, China is the clearest live case for reform paying off at scale.
The infrastructure spend on rail and air links to secondary cities points to demand spreading beyond the established gateways of Beijing and Shanghai, creating room for operators to build itineraries around less-saturated destinations.