China and its leading achievements in travel and tourism: poised to become the world’s leading economy | News
China’s travel and tourism (T&T) sector is undergoing a phase of accelerated expansion, positioning it as a strong example of continued tourism growth, and putting the country firmly on track to become the world’s leading T&T economy in the coming years if current trends continue.
According to new 2026 Economic Impact Research (EIR) data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), sponsored by Chase Travel, Lead Research Partner, China emerges not only as the standout in the Asia Pacific, but also as a leader in how coordinated policies, innovation and long-term infrastructure investments can have a major impact on tourism growth.
In 2025, China welcomed more than 68 million international visitors, up 15.5% year-on-year, nearly three times the global growth rate of 5.4%, while international visitor expenditure rose 10.5% to US$135 billion, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and significantly outperforming the global average growth rate of 3.2%. The country recorded another 9 million arrivals compared to 2024, representing the largest increase globally.
This strong performance is having a significant impact, with the broader Chinese T&T sector continuing to outperform regionally, growing 9.9% to US$1.8 trillion in 2025, more than double the global growth average of 4.1%. China also plays a central role in making the Asia Pacific the fastest growing T&T region in the world, with growth of 8.1%.
The recovery is driven by a combination of progressive policy reforms and technological innovation, supported by the Chinese government’s strong strategic vision in positioning travel and tourism as a key pillar of national economic growth.
Extensive visa facilitation measures now cover more than 50 countries, offering visa-free stays of up to 30 days and extended transit stays of up to 10 days. Since 2020, arrivals from visa-free markets have increased fivefold, including an additional 18% growth in 2025 alone.
At the same time, China is improving the visitor experience through seamless travel initiatives, including the rollout of biometric systems at entry points and the widespread adoption of advanced digital payment platforms, enabling a smoother end-to-end journey for international travelers. These efforts underline the importance of innovation and digitalization as crucial factors for tourism growth.
Investments in air links and high-speed rail infrastructure further strengthen accessibility, improve connections between major international gateways and secondary cities and support a more balanced distribution of tourist flows across the country.
At the same time, the large-scale development of new tourism zones, cultural attractions and theme parks is diversifying China’s tourism offering and strengthening its global competitiveness, underscoring the sector’s growing role as a driver of economic diversification, regional development and job creation.
Gloria Guevara, President and CEO of WTTC, presented these latest findings during her visit to China, underscoring how the country plays a critical role in accelerating growth in the global T&T landscape, supported by a clear long-term commitment from the Chinese government to the continued development of the sector.
Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of WTTC, said: “China’s recovery shows how targeted policy reforms can directly translate into stronger inbound demand and sustainable growth. Continued progress on visa facilitation will be essential to maintain this momentum. This approach could ultimately position China to become the world’s leading travel and tourism operator if they continue on this path.”
China will generate one in five new tourism jobs in the world by 2036
Growth is expected to remain strong, with an expected increase of 5.3% in 2026 and an average annual growth rate of 6.5% over the next ten years. By 2036, the sector is expected to nearly double in size to $3.5 trillion, underscoring its long-term strategic importance.
Employment remains central to this growth story, with T&T supporting 84.6 million jobs by 2025 and expected to exceed 103 million by 2036, accounting for one in five new tourism jobs globally over the next decade.
China is on track to regain its position as the world’s largest outbound travel market, with spending expected to rise 22.5% to nearly $280 billion by 2026, surpassing the United States. The country is also a major player in business travel, ranking second globally with $192 billion in expenditure, strengthening its global influence across business segments.
