Report shows that China's inbound tourism volume and quality have both increased, penetrating into sinking markets

China News Service, Wudang Mountain, Hubei, October 18 (Reporter Ma Furong) The 13th China Tourism Industry Development Annual Conference was held in Wudang Mountain, Hubei on the 18th. The "2026 China Tourism Industry Influence Report" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") released on the spot showed that, driven by the joint promotion of active inbound tourist visas and facilitation policies, the quantity and quality of China's inbound tourism have increased at the same time, and it is penetrating into the sinking market.

Wu Liyun, the publisher of the report and executive vice president of the Chinese Culture and Tourism Industry Research Institute of Beijing International Studies University, said that inbound tourists are moving from first-tier cities such as Beijing to county areas, and their footprints have covered nearly 500 cities in China. The number of views related to "China Rural Travel" on TikTok has exceeded 5 billion times.

"Chinese life is becoming a lifestyle widely experienced by tourists." Wu Liyun said that foreign tourists practice Baduanjin, watch Chinese dramas, and are keen to participate in cultural experiences, technology tours, shopping tours, etc.

Data show that in the first half of 2026, the number of foreigners entering China reached 22.914 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.4%, of which the number of visa-free entries accounted for nearly 80%, a year-on-year increase of 30.6%. Inbound tourism drove exports of travel services to 229.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.1%.

Miao Muyang, director of the Industrial Development Department of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said at the meeting that foreign tourists are no longer limited to traditional inbound tourist routes and attractions. More and more foreigners are beginning to go deep into the streets and factories to taste the fireworks and experience cutting-edge technology. Inbound tourism is changing from “touring China” to “experience China”.

Xu Peng, vice chairman of the World Tourism Alliance and president of the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Association, pointed out that in addition to the positive trend, short stay time and insufficient consumption depth are the most practical shortcomings of current inbound tourism. He suggested focusing on the in-depth experience of scarce culture and cultivating a number of high value-added inbound tourism products relying on local intangible cultural heritage, villages, food culture, and characteristic industrial resources.

He proposed to take "shopping consumption" as the main direction to improve quality and efficiency, starting from packaging design, multi-lingual explanations to cultural interpretation, etc., to promote the international transformation of domestic products, high-quality electronic products, cultural and creative products, etc.; continue to expand the coverage of departure tax refund stores, strengthen the linkage between core cities and surrounding and characteristic villages, so that tourists can stay more, experience more, and spend more.