China is on track to become the world’s leading travel and tourism economy in the coming years if current growth continues, welcoming more than 68 million international visitors in 2025.
New World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 2026 Economic Impact Research reported a 15.5 per cent year-on-year rise in international travellers to China last year, while inbound visitor spending climbed 10.5 per cent to USD$135 billion, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
The country recorded an additional nine million arrivals compared with 2024, the largest increase of any nation globally. The WTTC says China’s wider tourism sector expanded 9.9 per cent in 2025 to reach USD$1.8 trillion, more than double the global growth average of 4.1 per cent.
China is also driving Asia-Pacific to become the fastest-growing travel and tourism region in the world, with the region recording 8.1 per cent growth.
What’s behind the surge
The WTTC attributes the tourism surge in China to a combination of policy reform and technological investment. Expanded 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-exempt markets have increased fivefold, including an additional 18 per cent growth in 2025 alone. The visa-free expansion drove a surge of nine million additional visitors – the largest such increase globally.
China is also rolling out biometric systems at entry points and widening the use of digital payment platforms, while continued investment in air connectivity and high-speed rail is improving links between major gateways and secondary cities. New tourism zones, cultural attractions and theme parks are broadening the country’s offering.
WTTC President & CEO Gloria Guevara said: “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. This approach, over time, could position China to become the world’s leading travel and tourism if they continue with this path.”
Why it matters for Aussie advisors
The WTTC projects China is on track to reclaim its position as the world’s largest outbound travel market with spending forecast to surge 22.5 per cent to nearly USD$280 billion in 2026, surpassing the US. It is a trajectory that sits alongside the WTTC’s broader forecast that travel and tourism will outpace the wider economy over the next decade.
China sits among the top destinations for Australian travellers, and ABS data has recorded strong growth in Aussie short-term trips to the country, helped by improving air connectivity and a large visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) market. The expanding visa-free regime and smoother entry processes make the destination easier to package and sell.
Growth is expected to continue with the WTTC forecasting 5.3 per cent expansion in 2026 and an average annual rate of 6.5 per cent over the next decade. By 2036, the sector is tipped to nearly double to USD$3.5 trillion and support more than 103 million jobs, accounting for one in every five new tourism jobs globally over the decade.
KARRYON UNPACKS: China’s visa-free push and smoother entry tech are quietly removing the friction that once made the destination hard to sell. With outbound Chinese spending forecast to overtake the US in 2026, the country is shaping up as a tourism force.
