Revenue from tourism in China 2011-2021

In 2021, the revenue from tourism in China amounted to roughly 2.92 trillion yuan. 2020 and 2021 revenues were estimated to be nearly completely generated by domestic tourism, as strict travel restrictions led to a halt in inbound tourism since February 2020.

China in the global tourism industry

The global tourism industry had generated between six to seven trillion U.S. dollars in revenue over the past years. The term tourism in this context includes travel for recreation, leisure, business or other purposes. As an interlinked industry, tourism has an impact on several other industries such as retail, accommodation and transportation. In 2019, China was the world’s largest travel and tourism economy, with a global market share surpassing the United States.

Tourism in China

With rising standards of living, the tourism industry in China experienced a substantial growth spur over the last decade. The Chinese tourism industry reported a 11.7 percent increase in revenue to around 5.7 trillion yuan in 2019. In 2017, the industry directly employed about 28.3 million people. Being the fourth largest country in the world by land area, China provides a wide range of natural, historical and cultural sites. China’s tourism industry consists of domestic and international tourism. Around six billion domestic trips had been made pre-pandemic, in 2019. Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou were among the most popular domestic destinations among Chinese tourists. The number of foreign tourists visiting China ranged at only around 32 million in 2019.

The coronavirus pandemic had a strong effect on tourism in China. While only few foreign passengers are allowed to enter the country, the number of domestic travelers has also dropped more than half in 2020 and started slowly increasing again in 2021.