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China and its leading performance in Travel & Tourism: Poised to Become the World’s Leading Economy in the Sector
Date: 3 June 2026
China’s Travel & Tourism (T&T) sector is undergoing a phase of accelerated expansion, positioning it as a strong example of sustained tourism growth, and placing 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 is emerging not only as the standout performer in Asia-Pacific, but also as a leader for how to coordinated policy, innovation, and long-term investment in infrastructure can drive high-impact tourism growth at scale.
In 2025, China welcomed more than 68 million international visitors, marking a 15.5% year-on-year increase, nearly three times the global growth rate of 5.4%, while international visitor spending rose by 10.5% to $135 billion, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and significantly outperforming the global average growth of 3.2%. The country recorded an additional 9 million arrivals compared to 2024, representing the largest increase globally.
This strong performance is having a significant impact, with China’s wider T&T sector continuing to outperform regionally, expanding by 9.9% in 2025 to reach $1.8 trillion, more than double the global growth average of 4.1%. China is also playing a central role in propelling Asia-Pacific to become the fastest-growing T&T region in the world, achieving 8.1% growth.
The recovery is being driven by a combination of progressive policy reforms and technological innovation, supported by the strong strategic vision of the Government of China in positioning Travel & Tourism as a key pillar of national economic growth.
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% growth in 2025 alone.
At the same time, China is enhancing 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 travellers. These efforts highlight the importance of innovation and digitalisation as core enablers of tourism growth.
Investment in air connectivity and high-speed rail infrastructure is further strengthening accessibility, improving connections between major international gateways and secondary cities, and supporting a more balanced distribution of tourism flows across the country.
In parallel, large-scale development of new tourism zones, cultural attractions, and theme parks is diversifying China’s tourism offering and reinforcing its global competitiveness, underscoring the sector’s growing role as a driver of economic diversification, regional development, and job creation.
WTTC President & CEO, Gloria Guevara, presented these latest findings during her visit to China, underscoring how the country is playing a pivotal role in accelerating growth across the global T&T landscape, supported by a clear long-term commitment from the Chinese Government to the sector’s continued development.
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, 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 & Tourism if they continue with this path.”
China to generate one in five new global tourism jobs by 2036
Growth is set to remain strong, with a projected 5.3% increase in 2026 and an average annual growth rate of 6.5% over the next decade. By 2036, the sector is expected to nearly double in size to $3.5 trillion, underlining its long-term strategic importance.
Employment remains central to this growth story, with T&T supporting 84.6 million jobs in 2025 and expected to exceed 103 million by 2036, accounting for one in every five new tourism jobs globally during the next decade.
China is on track to reclaim its position as the world’s largest outbound travel market, with spending forecast to surge by 22.5% to nearly $280 billion in 2026, surpassing the United States. The country is also a major force in business travel, ranking second worldwide with $192 billion in spending, reinforcing its global influence across corporate segments.
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