China Tourism Statistics Updated November 2026

Human Written & Fact Checked · Updated

148 China Tourism Statistics for 2026

Mainland China recorded 154.50 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2025, more than in any year before, and foreign visitor arrivals rose by almost a third to 35.17 million. Visa-free entry drove much of the growth: by 2026 more than three in four foreign entries needed no visa.

This page gathers the current official figures on China tourism in one place: inbound visitors and border crossings, visa-free entry, source markets, spending and payments, domestic and outbound travel, Beijing and Shanghai, attractions, hotels, transport, the economy, safety and the best time to visit. Every number links to the body that published it, with the date.

China publishes two main counts of visitors. The immigration service counts every border crossing, and the culture and tourism ministry counts inbound visitors. They measure different things, so each is given under its own name and the two are not compared. Where a series changed method, as tourism value added did after the fifth economic census, we do not compare across the break.

Headline figures

  • Mainland China recorded 154.50 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2025, up 17.1%, counting residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • Foreign visitor arrivals reached 35.17 million in 2025, up 30.6% on 2024. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • 30.08 million foreign entries to China were visa-free in 2025, 73.1% of all foreign entries and up 49.5%. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • Immigration officers inspected a record 697 million border crossings into and out of China in 2025, up 14.2%. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • At the end of 2025, citizens of 48 countries could enter China visa-free under its one-way (unilateral) waiver. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • Chinese residents made a record 6.522 billion domestic trips in 2025, up 16.2%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2026)
  • Chinese residents spent 6.30 trillion yuan on domestic trips in 2025, up 9.5%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2026)
  • Inbound visitors spent US$131.1 billion in China in 2025, up 39.2%. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2026)
  • Mainland residents made 148.36 million outbound tourist trips in 2025, up 20.8% but still below 2019. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • Tourism and related industries added 5.8631 trillion yuan to China's economy in 2024, 4.35% of GDP. (NBS (tourism value added), Dec 2025)
  • Chinese residents made 5.307 billion domestic trips in January to September 2026, up 6.2% on a year earlier. (MCT (domestic travel data), Oct 2026)
  • Shanghai received a record 9.3602 million inbound visitors in 2025, up 39.6%. (Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)
  • China's high-speed rail network reached 50,000 km at the end of 2025. (National Railway Administration, May 2026)

How many tourists visit China each year?

Mainland China received more inbound visitors in 2025 than in any year before, passing its 2019 peak. Most are residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, many of them on day trips, but foreign visitor numbers grew fastest.

145.31m 2019 82.03m 2023 131.90m 2024 154.50m 2025
View data table
Inbound visitor arrivals to mainland China, in million, each year from the ministry's own annual release. 2020 to 2022 were not published on the same basis.
PeriodValue
2019145.31m
202382.03m
2024131.90m
2025154.50m
Inbound visitor arrivals to mainland China, in million, each year from the ministry's own annual release. 2020 to 2022 were not published on the same basis. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • Residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made 119.32 million of the 2025 arrivals, up 13.7%. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • There were 131.902 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2024, up 60.8%: 26.94 million foreign visitors, up 95.5%, and 104.962 million from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, up 53.8%. (MCT (statistical bulletin), May 2025)
  • In 2023, the year the border reopened, inbound arrivals were 82.03 million, including 13.78 million foreigners and 68.24 million from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Aug 2024)
  • Before the pandemic, inbound arrivals reached 145.31 million in 2019, up 2.9%, of which 31.88 million were foreigners. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)
  • 65.73 million inbound visitors stayed at least one night in China in 2019, the last year the ministry published this split. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)

The culture and tourism ministry counts inbound visitors, including same-day visitors and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It is a different measure from the immigration count of border crossings in the next section, which counts every entry and exit for any purpose, so the two are not compared.

How many people cross China's borders each year?

Border crossings set a record in 2025, and mainland residents made about half of them. The immigration count covers every entry and exit by everyone, so it measures traffic, not tourists.

670m 2019 424m 2023 610m 2024 697m 2025
View data table
Border crossings inspected each year, entries and exits by all nationalities, in million, from each year's immigration release.
PeriodValue
2019670m
2023424m
2024610m
2025697m
Border crossings inspected each year, entries and exits by all nationalities, in million, from each year's immigration release. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • Mainland residents made 335 million border crossings in 2025, up 15.1%, and residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made 279 million, up 10.1%. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • Foreign nationals made 82.035 million border crossings in 2025, entries and exits combined, up 26.4%. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • There were 610 million crossings in 2024, up 43.9%: 291 million by mainland residents, 254 million by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents and 64.882 million by foreigners, up 82.9%. (NIA, Jan 2025)
  • In 2023, after the border reopened on 8 January, crossings totalled 424 million, including 35.478 million by foreigners. (NIA, Jan 2024)
  • In 2019 there were 670 million crossings, up 3.8%, including 350 million by mainland residents and 97.675 million by foreigners. (NIA, Jan 2020)
  • Officers also inspected 38.116 million vehicles, vessels, aircraft and trains crossing the border in 2025, including 1.006 million aircraft movements. (NIA, Jan 2026)

Crossings count person-trips in both directions, so one return trip counts twice. On this count, foreign crossings in 2025 were still below 2019, while the culture and tourism ministry's count of foreign visitors was above 2019. They count different things: the immigration figure includes every crossing for any purpose, and later releases say their foreign counts exclude border residents, while the 2019 release does not say whether border residents are included.

How many foreigners enter China visa-free, and who qualifies?

More than three in four foreign entries to China are now visa-free. The share has risen since 2024 as China waived visas for more countries and lengthened its transit scheme to 10 days.

71.2% H1 2025 72.2% Q3 2025 73.1% 2025 77.9% Q1 2026 77.7% H1 2026 77.5% Q3 2026
View data table
Share of foreign entries to China that were visa-free, by period, from the immigration service's half-year, quarterly and annual releases.
PeriodValue
H1 202571.2%
Q3 202572.2%
202573.1%
Q1 202677.9%
H1 202677.7%
Q3 202677.5%
Share of foreign entries to China that were visa-free, by period, from the immigration service's half-year, quarterly and annual releases. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • Visa-free foreign entries were 20.115 million in 2024, up 112.3%, and entries under the visa-free transit scheme rose 113.5%. (NIA, Jan 2025)
  • In January to June 2025, 13.64 million foreign entries were visa-free, 71.2% of the total and up 53.9%. (NIA, Jul 2025)
  • Visa-free foreign entries were 8.315 million in January to March 2026, 77.9% of all foreign entries and up 29.3%. (NIA, Apr 2026)
  • In January to June 2026, 17.815 million foreign entries were visa-free, 77.7% of the total and up 30.6%. (NIA, Jul 2026)
  • In July to September 2026, 8.992 million of 11.601 million foreign entries were visa-free (77.5%), up 24.1% on a year earlier. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • At the end of 2025 China had mutual visa exemption with 29 countries, and 240-hour visa-free transit applied at 65 ports after Indonesia and five Guangdong ports were added. (NIA, Jan 2026)
  • On 17 December 2024, visa-free transit was extended from 72 or 144 hours to 240 hours (10 days), and 21 ports were added. (NIA, Jan 2025)
  • From 20 August 2026 the 240-hour transit scheme covers 57 countries, after Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added, and Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry covers 61 countries. (NIA, Aug 2026)
  • Under the unilateral waiver, ordinary passport holders can stay up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit. The policy was extended to 31 December 2026, and Sweden was added from 10 November 2025. (MFA, Nov 2025)
  • Immigration offices issued 2.597 million visas and other documents to foreigners in 2024, up 52.3%, including 1.476 million port visas issued on arrival, up 87.3%. (NIA, Jan 2025)

Visa-free entries count entries, not people, and cover the unilateral waiver, mutual exemptions, the transit scheme and regional schemes such as Hainan's. The unilateral country count is the immigration service's figure for the end of 2025. The list changes often, so check the current list before travel. Visa document figures cover only those issued inside China, not visas issued by embassies abroad.

Where do China's foreign visitors come from?

Neighbouring countries send most foreign visitors. South Korea led in the first half of 2026 and Russia in the third quarter. The immigration service publishes a ranking only, without counts per country, so Beijing's figures give the best view of individual markets.

  1. 1 Russia 504,868
  2. 2 United States 354,575
  3. 3 Malaysia 298,751
  4. 4 South Korea 245,669
  5. 5 Singapore 232,672
  6. 6 Japan 184,483
Beijing's largest foreign source markets by visits in 2025. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jan 2026)
  • The top ten source countries for foreign entrants in January to June 2026 were South Korea, Russia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the United States, Japan, Mongolia and Australia, together 62% of foreign entrants. (NIA, Jul 2026)
  • In July to September 2026 the order was Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia, together 63.9% of foreign entrants. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • Beijing received 4.557 million foreign visitors in 2025, up 41.8%. Russia was its largest foreign market with 504,868 visits, up 72.2%, ahead of the United States with 354,575, up 0.5%. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jan 2026)
  • Malaysia (298,751), South Korea (245,669, up 66.3%), Singapore (232,672) and Japan (184,483) were Beijing's next largest foreign markets in 2025. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jan 2026)
  • Visitors from Europe made 1,561,722 visits to Beijing in 2025, up 47.9%, but visits from the UK fell 4.0% to 117,499 and from Germany 5.0% to 159,737. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jan 2026)
  • Beijing also counted 479,748 visits from Hong Kong, up 8.7%, and 381,745 from Taiwan, up 54.9%. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Jan 2026)
  • In January and February 2026, Russian visits to Beijing more than doubled to 85,502, while Japanese visits fell 23.9% to 15,269. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, May 2026)

The national ranking counts foreign entrants at all ports and excludes residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Beijing's counts are visits to one city, include same-day visitors and are not a national figure. The January to February 2026 window includes the Spring Festival, so treat it as an early signal only.

Is inbound travel to China still growing in 2026?

Yes, but more slowly. Foreign entries were still rising at double-digit rates in the third quarter of 2026, while total border traffic grew more slowly than in 2025.

38.05m H1 2025 45.91m H1 2026 20.13m Q3 2025 23.27m Q3 2026
View data table
Border crossings by foreign nationals, in million, in the first half and third quarter of 2025 and 2026, from the immigration service's half-year and quarterly releases.
PeriodValue
H1 202538.05m
H1 202645.91m
Q3 202520.13m
Q3 202623.27m
Border crossings by foreign nationals, in million, in the first half and third quarter of 2025 and 2026, from the immigration service's half-year and quarterly releases. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • Border crossings were 185 million in January to March 2026, up 13.5%; foreigners made 21.333 million of them, up 22.3%. (NIA, Apr 2026)
  • First-half crossings were a record 369 million, up 10.8%, including 45.906 million by foreigners, up 20.6%. (NIA, Jul 2026)
  • Foreign nationals made 22.914 million entries into China in January to June 2026, up 20.4%. (NIA, Jul 2026)
  • In July to September 2026 crossings were 192 million, up 7.9%, and foreigners made 23.272 million of them, up 15.6%. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • From January to August 2026, crossings totalled 499 million, up 8.7%, of which 61.287 million were by foreigners, up 19.5%. 23.72 million foreign entries were visa-free, 77.6% of the total. (NIA, Sep 2026)
  • Over the nine-day 2026 Spring Festival holiday, officers handled 17.796 million crossings, 1.977 million a day on average and up 10.1% a day on the 2025 holiday. Foreigners made 1.313 million of them. (NIA, Feb 2026)
  • Shanghai received 8.0281 million inbound visitors in January to September 2026, up 26.9%, including 6.2639 million foreigners, up 29.5%. (Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Oct 2026)
  • Beijing counted 634,836 inbound visits in January and February 2026, up 33.4%. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, May 2026)

All 2026 figures are from quarterly and half-year releases and may be revised. Crossings count entries and exits, while foreign entries count one direction only. Shanghai's monthly figures are provisional.

How much do visitors spend in China, and how do they pay?

Inbound spending in 2025 was close to its 2019 level after two years of fast growth. Most visitors pay by phone, and payments through mobile apps have grown many times over since 2024.

US$53.0bn 2023 US$94.2bn 2024 US$131.1bn 2025
View data table
Total spending by inbound visitors in China, in US$ billion, from each year's statistical communique.
PeriodValue
2023US$53.0bn
2024US$94.2bn
2025US$131.1bn
Total spending by inbound visitors in China, in US$ billion, from each year's statistical communique. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2026)
  • Inbound visitors spent US$94.2 billion in 2024, up 77.8%. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2025)
  • In 2023, the first year after reopening, inbound visitors spent US$53.0 billion. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2024)
  • In 2019, international tourism receipts were US$131.3 billion, up 3.3%, of which foreigners spent US$77.1 billion. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)
  • More than 10 million inbound travellers used mobile payment in China in January to June 2025; the number of their transactions rose 162% and the value 149%. (PBOC, Oct 2025)
  • In January to June 2024, more than 5 million inbound travellers made over 90 million mobile payments worth more than 14 billion yuan. (PBOC, Jul 2024)
  • Inbound visitors spent about 80 billion yuan (US$11.59 billion) through mobile payment platforms in 2025, according to the culture and tourism minister. (MCT (minister), Mar 2026)
  • Foreign bank cards made 1.61 million payments in China worth 2.9 billion yuan in June 2024 alone. (PBOC, Jul 2024)
  • Foreign visitors can change money at 67,000 bank branches, more than 4,200 exchange points and 320,000 cash machines, including 190 exchange points at 74 international airports. (PBOC, Jul 2024)
  • The limit for a single mobile payment with a foreign card was raised from US$1,000 to US$5,000, and the annual limit from US$10,000 to US$50,000. (PBOC, Jul 2024)

The 2023 to 2025 figures are the statistics bureau's total spending by inbound visitors. The 2019 figure is the culture and tourism ministry's international tourism receipts, a corresponding measure published under a different name, so the comparison is approximate. Both include visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Mobile payment figures cover all inbound travellers, including non-tourists, and the 2025 total is a ministerial statement. The cash and card limit figures date from mid-2024.

How much do Chinese residents travel at home?

Domestic travel is by far the largest part of Chinese tourism, and it set a record in 2025, above its 2019 peak. Trips are growing faster than spending, so the average trip is getting cheaper.

6.006bn 2019 2.879bn 2020 3.246bn 2021 2.530bn 2022 4.89bn 2023 5.615bn 2024 6.522bn 2025
View data table
Domestic trips by Chinese residents, in billion, each year from the ministry's own release.
PeriodValue
20196.006bn
20202.879bn
20213.246bn
20222.530bn
20234.89bn
20245.615bn
20256.522bn
Domestic trips by Chinese residents, in billion, each year from the ministry's own release. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2026)
  • Urban residents made 4.996 billion of the 2025 trips, up 14.3%, and rural residents 1.526 billion, up 22.6%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2026)
  • Urban residents spent 5.30 trillion yuan on domestic trips in 2025, up 7.5%, and rural residents 1.00 trillion yuan, up 21.4%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2026)
  • Domestic travel spending was 4.95 trillion yuan in January to September 2026, up only 2.2%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Oct 2026)
  • Residents made 5.615 billion domestic trips in 2024, up 14.8%, and spent 5.75 trillion yuan, up 17.1%. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2025)
  • In 2023 there were 4.89 billion domestic trips, up 93.3%, and spending of 4.9 trillion yuan, up 140.3%. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Aug 2024)
  • In 2022, the last year of Covid controls, trips fell 22.1% to 2.530 billion and spending 30.0% to 2.04 trillion yuan. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2023)
  • In 2021 there were 3.246 billion domestic trips, 54.0% of the 2019 level, and each trip cost 899.28 yuan on average. (MCT (domestic travel data), Jan 2022)
  • Trips fell 52.1% to 2.879 billion in 2020, and spending fell 61.1% to 2.23 trillion yuan. (MCT (domestic travel data), Feb 2021)
  • Before the pandemic, residents made 6.006 billion domestic trips in 2019, with domestic tourism revenue of 5.73 trillion yuan. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)

Figures come from the ministry's domestic travel sample survey. The series was renamed in 2025 from domestic tourism to domestic resident travel, on the same survey basis. Trips are person-trips and spending is in nominal yuan. The 2026 figures are for nine months and are preliminary.

How many Chinese travel abroad?

Outbound travel recovered fast after 2023 but was still a little below its 2019 peak in 2025. Most trips go to Hong Kong and Macao, and two official counts measure outbound travel in different ways.

154.63m 2019 87.63m 2023 122.79m 2024 148.36m 2025
View data table
Outbound tourist trips by mainland residents, in million, on the culture and tourism ministry's count, each year from its own release. 2020 to 2022 were not published on the same basis.
PeriodValue
2019154.63m
202387.63m
2024122.79m
2025148.36m
Outbound tourist trips by mainland residents, in million, on the culture and tourism ministry's count, each year from its own release. 2020 to 2022 were not published on the same basis. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • Mainland residents made 167.92 million exits in 2025, of which 161.66 million were for private purposes and 112.71 million were to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2026)
  • Exits by mainland residents were 145.89 million in 2024, 97.12 million of them to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2025)
  • In 2023, residents made 100.96 million exits, 77.04 million of them to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (NBS (statistical communique), Feb 2024)
  • The culture and tourism ministry counted 122.792 million outbound tourist trips in 2024, up 41%. (MCT (statistical bulletin), May 2025)
  • Outbound tourist trips were 87.63 million in 2023. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Aug 2024)
  • Outbound tourist trips peaked at 154.63 million in 2019, up 3.3%. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2020)
  • Mainland residents made 48.508 million exits in July to September 2026, up 7.5%. The top destinations were Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • China issued 20.897 million ordinary passports in 2025, and 98.538 million endorsements for mainland residents travelling to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. (NIA, Jan 2026)

Two official counts are used. The statistics bureau counts all exits by mainland residents for any purpose, and the culture and tourism ministry counts outbound tourist trips. They are different measures and are not compared. Both include trips to Hong Kong and Macao. The immigration service publishes a ranking of destinations only, without counts.

How many tourists visit Beijing and Shanghai?

Shanghai receives more inbound visitors than Beijing, and both set records in 2025. Each city counts visitors in its own way, so their figures do not add up to the national total. Both run very large metro networks.

8.97m 2019 3.64m 2023 6.71m 2024 9.36m 2025
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Inbound visitors to Shanghai, in million, from the city's annual statistical communiques. 2020 to 2022 are left out.
PeriodValue
20198.97m
20233.64m
20246.71m
20259.36m
Inbound visitors to Shanghai, in million, from the city's annual statistical communiques. 2020 to 2022 are left out. (Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)

Shanghai counts visitors who enter China and come to the city, excluding people who have lived there for a year or more. Beijing's inbound count includes same-day visitors. Both are city counts, not national figures, and a visitor who goes to both cities is counted in each. Shanghai's rail length includes the Jinshan railway and the airport link line.

How many people visit China's attractions and heritage sites?

Rated scenic areas and museums draw billions of visits a year, almost all by domestic travellers. The Palace Museum in Beijing is the best-known single site, with well over ten million visitors a year.

2.63bn 2022 5.75bn 2023 6.76bn 2024 7.51bn 2025
View data table
Visits to China's A-grade scenic areas, in billion, each year from the ministry's statistical bulletin.
PeriodValue
20222.63bn
20235.75bn
20246.76bn
20257.51bn
Visits to China's A-grade scenic areas, in billion, each year from the ministry's statistical bulletin. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • China had 16,994 A-grade scenic areas at the end of 2025. They received 7.51 billion visits and earned 554.49 billion yuan in the year. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • In 2024, 16,541 A-grade scenic areas received 6.76 billion visits and earned 481.42 billion yuan. (MCT (statistical bulletin), May 2025)
  • In 2022, 14,917 A-grade scenic areas received 2.63 billion visits. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jul 2023)
  • Heritage institutions received 1.64 billion visits in 2025, up 6.2%, and China had 7,188 registered museums and memorial halls. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • China had 60 UNESCO World Heritage sites after the Xixia Imperial Tombs were inscribed in 2025, and 45 items on UNESCO's intangible heritage lists. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • The ministry lists 358 national 5A-grade scenic areas, the top grade, and 85 national tourism resorts. (MCT (tourism service portal), Nov 2026)
  • On 5 November 2026 the ministry proposed 17 more 5A sites, including Canton Tower, the Chengdu panda breeding base, the Tibet Museum, the Xixia Imperial Tombs and Zhujiajiao ancient town in Shanghai. (MCT (5A notice), Nov 2026)
  • The Palace Museum received 17.62 million visitors in 2024 and was open on 318 days; 94.1% of visitors said they were satisfied. (Palace Museum, Aug 2025)
  • The Palace Museum first passed 17 million visitors in a year in 2018, when it capped entry at 80,000 a day on 76 days. (Palace Museum, Dec 2018)
  • Palace Museum entry costs 60 yuan from 1 April to 31 October and 40 yuan from 1 November to 31 March. It is closed on Mondays except public holidays, and tickets are released 7 days ahead at 20:00. (Palace Museum, 2026)
  • Badaling Great Wall had received more than 89,000 visitors by 15:30 on 3 October 2024, the peak day of that year's Golden Week. (Beijing Public Security Bureau, Oct 2024)

Scenic area and museum visits are counted at each site, so one trip can be counted several times, and nearly all are by domestic travellers. The 5A and resort counts are from a live listing read in November 2026; the 17 proposed sites were still under public notice. The Palace Museum's 2024 total is its latest published full year. Real-name booking applies, and foreign visitors book with a passport.

How many hotels does China have, and how full are they?

Star-rated hotels are a shrinking part of China's accommodation, and they were less than half full in 2025. Big-city hotels do much better than the national average.

10,130 2019 8,365 2022 8,253 2023 7,716 2024 7,586 2025
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Star-rated hotels in China at the end of each year, from the ministry's statistical bulletin. 2020 and 2021 are left out.
PeriodValue
201910,130
20228,365
20238,253
20247,716
20257,586
Star-rated hotels in China at the end of each year, from the ministry's statistical bulletin. 2020 and 2021 are left out. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • China had 7,586 star-rated hotels at the end of 2025. Those reporting averaged 360.2 yuan per room-night at 46.8% occupancy, with revenue of 144.80 billion yuan. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • In 2024 there were 7,716 star-rated hotels, averaging 371.7 yuan a room-night at 49.2% occupancy, with revenue of 155.73 billion yuan. (MCT (statistical bulletin), May 2025)
  • In 2023 there were 8,253 star-rated hotels, averaging 370.8 yuan a room-night at 50.7% occupancy. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Aug 2024)
  • In 2022 there were 8,365 star-rated hotels, averaging 318.48 yuan a room-night at 38.35% occupancy. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jul 2023)
  • Before the pandemic there were 10,130 star-rated hotels in 2019, averaging 378.55 yuan a room-night at 56.7% occupancy. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2020)
  • The ministry lists 844 five-star tourist hotels. (MCT (tourism service portal), Nov 2026)
  • Beijing's main hotels averaged 524.5 yuan per room-night at 65.9% occupancy in January to November 2024. Five-star hotels averaged 867.4 yuan, up 5.0%, at 67.6% occupancy. (Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau, Dec 2024)
  • Shanghai had 142 star hotels, 2,025 travel agencies and 144 A-grade scenic areas at the end of 2025. (Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)

Star-rated hotels exclude most budget chains, unrated hotels, homestays and short-term lets. Room rates and occupancy cover only hotels whose returns passed review, and the reporting system changed in 2023 and again in 2025, so year-on-year changes are approximate. Beijing's figures cover both star and unrated main hotels, so they are not comparable with the national star-hotel average. Prices are in nominal yuan.

How do visitors get to and around China?

Most international air passengers pass through Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou, and high-speed trains carry much of the onward travel. International flying grew fast in 2025 but has slowed in 2026.

  1. 1 Shanghai Pudong 32.87m
  2. 2 Guangzhou Baiyun 16.73m
  3. 3 Beijing Capital 14.66m
  4. 4 Shenzhen Bao'an 5.82m
  5. 5 Chengdu Tianfu 5.47m
  6. 6 Beijing Daxing 5.14m
International passenger movements at mainland China's busiest international airports in 2025, in million. (CAAC, Feb 2026)
  • Chinese airlines carried 79.70 million passengers on international routes in 2025, up 21.6%, on scheduled services to 147 cities in 65 countries. (CAAC, Apr 2026)
  • Across all routes, Chinese airlines carried 770.15 million passengers in 2025, up 5.5%, and 91.09% of passenger flights were on time. (CAAC, Apr 2026)
  • Mainland China had 270 transport airports at the end of 2025, which handled 1.529 billion passenger movements, up 4.8%. (CAAC, Apr 2026)
  • Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou airports handled 22.4% of all passengers in 2025 but 60.0% of international passengers. (CAAC, Apr 2026)
  • Mainland airports handled 117.80 million international passenger movements in 2025, up 18.7%, and another 21.21 million on Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan routes. (CAAC, Feb 2026)
  • Shanghai Pudong was the busiest airport in 2025, with 84.99 million passengers, ahead of Guangzhou Baiyun (83.58 million), Beijing Capital (70.74 million), Shenzhen Bao'an (66.49 million) and Chengdu Tianfu (56.69 million). (CAAC, Feb 2026)
  • Chinese airlines carried 61.95 million international passengers in January to September 2026, up 4.7%, on provisional figures. (CAAC, Oct 2026)
  • Railways carried 4.601 billion passenger journeys in 2025, up 6.7%. (National Railway Administration, May 2026)
  • China's railways were 165,000 km long at the end of 2025, and 2,862 km of new high-speed line opened during the year. (National Railway Administration, May 2026)
  • Chinese cities ran 11,651 km of urban rail on 341 lines at the end of 2025, which carried 33.224 billion passengers, up 3.2%. (Ministry of Transport, Jun 2026)
  • In Guangdong, high-speed trains carried 396.11 million of the province's 435.88 million rail passengers in 2025, or 90.9%. (Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)

Passengers carried count Chinese airlines only, and airport movements count each arrival and departure on all airlines. Both include Chinese residents travelling abroad, so neither is a count of visitors. Airport figures exclude Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Rail figures count journeys, not people.

What is tourism worth to China's economy?

Tourism and related industries make up a little over 4% of China's GDP on the official direct measure, and shopping and transport are the largest parts. A wider ministry estimate for 2019, which counted indirect effects, put tourism at more than a tenth of GDP.

  1. 1 Shopping 35.1%
  2. 2 Transport 22.4%
  3. 3 Catering 15.7%
  4. 4 Accommodation 6.6%
  5. 5 Sightseeing 5.1%
  6. 6 Entertainment 4.5%
Shares of tourism and related industries value added in 2024, by activity. Other activities make up the rest. (NBS (tourism value added), Dec 2025)
  • Tourism shopping added 2.0593 trillion yuan in 2024, transport 1.3153 trillion, catering 922.3 billion and accommodation 386.9 billion. (NBS (tourism value added), Dec 2025)
  • Tourism value added was 5.4832 trillion yuan in 2023, 4.24% of GDP, on figures revised after the fifth economic census. (NBS (tourism value added), Dec 2024)
  • In 2019, on the earlier census basis, tourism value added was 4.4989 trillion yuan, 4.56% of GDP. (NBS (tourism value added), Dec 2020)
  • The culture and tourism ministry put tourism's total contribution to GDP, including indirect effects, at 10.94 trillion yuan in 2019, 11.05% of GDP. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)
  • Tourism supported 28.25 million direct jobs in 2019, and 79.87 million direct and indirect jobs, 10.31% of employment. (MCT (2019 market report), Mar 2020)
  • A-grade scenic areas employed 1.739 million people directly at the end of 2025, and China had 70,354 travel agencies. (MCT (statistical bulletin), Jun 2026)
  • There were 64,616 travel agencies at the end of 2024, with revenue of 565.77 billion yuan in the year. (MCT (statistical bulletin), May 2025)
  • The national tourism plan for 2021 to 2025 set no numeric targets. It recorded that residents took more than 4 trips each a year, and that inbound and outbound tourism passed 300 million trips a year, in 2016 to 2020. (State Council, Dec 2021)

Tourism value added is the statistics bureau's direct measure. Figures from 2022 onward were revised to the fifth economic census, so 2019 is not comparable with later years and the two are not charted together. The ministry's 2019 total contribution includes indirect and induced effects and is a different measure. All values are in nominal yuan.

How safe is China for visitors?

Police-recorded crime in China fell in 2024 and again in 2025, and the official homicide rate is low. Fine-particle pollution in Beijing and Shanghai fell in 2025.

  • Criminal cases filed by police fell 12.8% in 2025. Serious violent crime fell 4.7%, abduction and trafficking 40.7%, and theft, robbery and fraud 21.2%. (Ministry of Public Security, Jan 2026)
  • China recorded 0.44 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024, a year in which criminal cases filed fell 25.7%. (Ministry of Public Security, Jul 2025)
  • Beijing had 311 days of good or excellent air in 2025, 21 more than in 2024, and its average PM2.5 level fell 11.5% to 27.0 µg/m³. (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)
  • Shanghai's air was good or excellent on 88.5% of days in 2025, and its average PM2.5 level fell 7.4% to 26.3 µg/m³. (Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics, Mar 2026)

Crime figures are changes in cases filed by police, which depend on filing practice; no case totals were published for 2025. Air quality days use China's national standard, which is looser than WHO guidelines, and Beijing's 2025 air data are preliminary.

When is the best time to visit China?

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons in most of China. Avoid the Spring Festival and the first week of October if you dislike crowds, because hundreds of millions of domestic trips are made in each holiday.

2.3°C Jan 6.1°C Feb 13.2°C Mar 21.0°C Apr 27.2°C May 30.8°C Jun 31.8°C Jul 30.7°C Aug 26.5°C Sep 19.3°C Oct 10.3°C Nov 3.7°C Dec
View data table
Average daily high temperature in Beijing by month, in °C, 1991-2020.
PeriodValue
Jan2.3°C
Feb6.1°C
Mar13.2°C
Apr21.0°C
May27.2°C
Jun30.8°C
Jul31.8°C
Aug30.7°C
Sep26.5°C
Oct19.3°C
Nov10.3°C
Dec3.7°C
Average daily high temperature in Beijing by month, in °C, 1991-2020. (China Meteorological Administration (WMO normals), 1991-2020)
  • The nine-day 2026 Spring Festival holiday brought 596 million domestic trips and 803.483 billion yuan of spending, both records. (MCT (holiday data), Feb 2026)
  • The eight-day 2025 Spring Festival holiday had 501 million domestic trips and 677.002 billion yuan of spending. (MCT (holiday data), Feb 2025)
  • The seven-day 2026 National Day holiday brought 826 million domestic trips and 738.375 billion yuan of spending. Daily averages rose 6.3% and 4.3% on 2025. (MCT (holiday data), Oct 2026)
  • In 2025, National Day and Mid-Autumn made one eight-day holiday, with 888 million domestic trips and 809.006 billion yuan of spending. (MCT (holiday data), Oct 2025)
  • China received 2.983 million inbound visitors over the 2026 National Day holiday; the daily average was up 6.5% on 2025 and 19.0% on 2024. (MCT (holiday data), Oct 2026)
  • Border officers handled 15.462 million crossings over the 2026 National Day holiday, 2.209 million a day on average and up 6.7% a day. 4.444 million mainland residents left China and 682,000 foreigners entered. (NIA, Oct 2026)
  • The 2026 May Day holiday brought 325 million domestic trips, up 3.6%, and 185.49 billion yuan of spending, up 2.9%. (MCT (holiday data), May 2026)
  • In Beijing, July averages a daily high of 31.8°C and is the wettest month (169.7 mm), and January nights average -6.9°C. May (21.3°C mean) and September (21.2°C) are mild and fairly dry. (China Meteorological Administration (WMO normals), 1991-2020)
  • Shanghai's July daily high averages 32.4°C and its January low 2.2°C. It gets 1,236.0 mm of rain a year, most in June (196.7 mm) and August (210.1 mm). (China Meteorological Administration (WMO normals), 1991-2020)
  • Guangzhou averages a July high of 33.3°C and 1,950.1 mm of rain a year, peaking in June at 364.9 mm. October to December are the driest months, and January highs average 18.7°C. (China Meteorological Administration (WMO normals), 1991-2020)

Holiday figures are estimates from the ministry's data centre, not the sample survey. Holiday lengths differ between years, so only daily averages are compared and the totals for different years should not be set against each other. Climate figures are 1991-2020 averages from China's reference stations; Shanghai's is at Baoshan, in the northern suburbs.

Glossary

NIA
The National Immigration Administration, which counts border crossings and visa-free entries.
MCT
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which counts inbound visitors, outbound tourist trips and domestic travel, and publishes an annual statistical bulletin.
NBS
The National Bureau of Statistics, which publishes inbound spending, exits by residents and tourism value added.
CAAC
The Civil Aviation Administration of China, which publishes airline and airport statistics.
PBOC
The People's Bank of China, the central bank, which oversees payments.
MFA
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sets the unilateral visa-free policy.
Border crossing
One entry into or exit from China, counted by the immigration service for every traveller, so a return trip counts twice.
Inbound visitor
A visitor arriving in mainland China on the ministry's count, including foreigners, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and same-day visitors.
240-hour transit
Visa-free stays of up to 10 days for eligible nationals travelling on to a third country, through approved ports.
A-grade scenic area
A tourist site rated from 1A to 5A under the national grading system; 5A is the top grade.
Golden Week
The National Day holiday in early October, one of the two busiest travel periods in China with the Spring Festival.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from China's official statistics producers: the National Immigration Administration for border crossings and visa-free entries; the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for inbound visitors, outbound tourist trips, domestic travel, holidays, hotels and scenic areas, each labelled by release; the National Bureau of Statistics for inbound spending, exits and tourism value added; and other ministries, city statistics bureaus and the Palace Museum for transport, payments, safety and city counts. Climate normals are China Meteorological Administration data submitted to the WMO. Chinese-language releases are translated, and each figure links to the document that carries it, with the date. Where two bodies count different things, such as border crossings and tourists, each is given under its own name and the two are not compared. Where a series changed method, as tourism value added did after the fifth economic census, figures are not compared across the break. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.