China is rapidly approaching the top of global tourism: WTTC records strong growth in spending and economic contribution
China's tourism sector continued to grow strongly and, according to the latest data from the World Travel & Tourism Council, known as WTTC, is increasingly clearly approaching the position of the world's leading tourism economies. According to WTTC's announcement of April 16, 2026, travel and tourism in China in 2025 contributed 1.75 trillion US dollars to the economy, with growth of 9.9 percent compared with the previous year. The same organization states that international visitor spending rose by 10.5 percent and reached 135 billion dollars, while domestic tourism spending grew to 890 billion dollars. According to WTTC, the sector supported 84.6 million jobs, which shows that the recovery is no longer only about the return of travelers after the pandemic, but also about a broader economic impact. China is still behind the United States of America, but the gap is narrowing at a time when global tourism flows are increasingly turning toward Asia and the Pacific.
The second-largest tourism economy is catching up with the US ever more aggressively
WTTC states in its analysis that the United States of America remained the world's largest travel and tourism market in 2025, with a sector contribution of 2.63 trillion dollars. Still, the organization warns that the US market is losing part of its market share, primarily because of a decline in international arrivals and weaker spending by foreign visitors. According to WTTC, the number of visitors to the US fell by 5.5 percent compared with 2024, while international spending fell by 4.6 percent, to 176 billion dollars. In the same period, China recorded double-digit growth in international and domestic spending, creating a different picture of global competition. Such a ratio does not mean that China has already taken first place, but it shows that the leading position of the US can no longer be viewed as untouchable.
The regional context is especially important. According to WTTC, Asia and the Pacific were the fastest-growing tourism region in 2025, with GDP contribution growth of 8.2 percent and a total value of 3.29 trillion dollars. In that region, several markets grew faster than the global average, with Malaysia, the Philippines, China, India and Indonesia listed among the most prominent examples. Globally, according to WTTC's Economic Impact Research, the travel and tourism sector in 2025 generated a contribution of 11.6 trillion dollars and accounted for 9.8 percent of the world economy. This means that China's growth is not happening in isolation, but as part of a broader shift of tourism dynamics toward markets that are simultaneously investing in infrastructure, digital services and travel facilitation. It is precisely this combination that makes the Chinese case important for the global tourism industry.
Visa-free regimes and easier entry are encouraging arrivals by foreign travelers
One of the key drivers of China's growth is the expansion of various forms of visa-free entry and transit. According to data from China's National Immigration Administration reported by the official website of the Chinese government, the 240-hour visa-free transit program has been expanded to 65 entry ports in 24 provincial-level regions, and travelers from 55 eligible countries can, subject to meeting the conditions, stay in China for up to ten days before continuing their journey to a third destination. China also, according to a government announcement from November 2025, extended unilateral visa-exemption arrangements for more than 40 countries until December 31, 2026. Such measures do not remove all administrative requirements, but they significantly lower the entry threshold for business travelers, tourists and visitors who combine several Asian destinations. For global tourism flows, this is important because decisions about shorter trips are often made precisely according to ease of entry, flight availability and the costs of staying.
According to China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, China recorded more than 150 million inbound visits in 2025, growth of more than 17 percent compared with the previous year. Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli stated, according to an official government announcement from March 2026, that inbound travelers' spending exceeded 130 billion US dollars. The same source states that the number of visa-free entries by foreigners exceeded 30 million, confirming that entry liberalization has a direct effect on tourism demand. The data cannot automatically be compared with all international statistics because countries count visits differently, but the trend is clear: in 2025, China again became one of the world's largest markets for international travel. If the existing pace continues, its negotiating power in aviation, hospitality, digital payments and destination marketing will grow further.
Digital payments have become part of tourism policy
In recent years, China has worked intensively to remove obstacles that made everyday payments difficult for foreign visitors. According to the payment guide published by the official website of the Chinese government, foreign users can link international credit cards, including Visa and Mastercard cards, with the Alipay and WeChat Pay platforms. The guide also states that visitors have various payment options available, from mobile applications and bank cards to cash, while higher-category tourist hotels, major tourist attractions and resorts are encouraged to accept domestic and foreign bank cards. This change has greater significance than mere technological adaptation because a large part of everyday spending in China takes place through mobile wallets and QR codes. For travelers who did not have a Chinese bank account, payment had previously been one of the main obstacles to a more pleasant stay.
According to data presented by Minister Sun Yeli, foreign visitors in 2025 spent about 80 billion yuan, or approximately 11.6 billion US dollars, through mobile payment platforms. That figure shows that digital solutions are not just an additional convenience, but are becoming a measurable part of tourism spending. In official documents, Chinese authorities link the improvement of payment services with the policy of broader opening of the economy and easier movement of people. In practice, this means that tourism growth no longer depends only on visas and destination promotion, but also on whether a traveler can easily buy a train ticket, pay for transport, book a hotel or visit a cultural attraction. That is why digital payments have become an important element of China's strategy to increase tourism competitiveness.
Infrastructure remains China's greatest advantage
A large part of China's tourism expansion relies on transport infrastructure that enables fast connections between major cities, regional centers and tourist destinations. According to data from China's Ministry of Transport published on the official government website, China's railway network reached 162,000 kilometers by the end of 2024, of which more than 48,000 kilometers were part of the high-speed rail network. The same source states that high-speed railways cover 97 percent of cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, allowing travelers to combine several destinations within one trip. Such connectivity is especially important for domestic tourism, but also for international visitors who, after entering Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Chengdu, can continue relatively quickly toward other regions. For those planning a longer stay, along with monitoring entry rules and transport connections, it is useful to compare accommodation offers in China in advance.
Air transport also shows a strong recovery and capacity expansion. According to data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, reported by the official government website, passenger traffic in civil aviation reached 770 million passengers in 2025, growth of 5.5 percent compared with the previous year. International passenger traffic rose by 21.6 percent, with connections to Central Asia, Western Asia, Africa and Latin America growing particularly strongly. A separate report on airports stated that China's civil transport airports handled almost 1.53 billion passenger trips in 2025 and that the country had 270 certified transport airports. These data indicate that China's tourism policy is not based only on attracting travelers, but also on creating a logistics system that can withstand very large traffic volumes.
The domestic market provides stability, foreign visitors bring additional value
Although international arrivals attract the most attention, Chinese tourism still relies to a large extent on domestic travelers. WTTC states that domestic spending in China in 2025 rose by 10.7 percent and reached 890 billion dollars. Such a base gives the sector stability because domestic demand can cushion changes in international flows, geopolitical tensions or changes in air transport prices. China has a large internal market, a strong urban middle class and a growing number of regional destinations that are promoted through cultural, gastronomic, nature and technology tourism. Precisely for that reason, foreign growth in China's case is not a replacement for the domestic market, but an additional layer that increases the total value of the sector.
International spending nevertheless carries special weight because it is directly linked to foreign-exchange revenues, promotion of the national image and development of higher-price-range services. According to WTTC, China's international visitor spending of 135 billion dollars in 2025 is still lower than America's 176 billion dollars, but it is growing while the US indicator is declining. This is an important signal for hotels, airlines, travel agencies, shopping centers and cultural institutions that depend on the spending of foreign guests. Chinese authorities also highlight experiences that foreigners are increasingly seeking, such as journeys on high-speed trains, local gastronomy, traditional Hanfu clothing, traditional Chinese medicine massages and large light or drone shows. Such a combination of cultural content and modern infrastructure shapes the image of China as a destination that wants to present itself both as a historical civilization and as a high-tech market.
Global tourism is growing again, but competition is sharper
According to UN Tourism data, around 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals were recorded worldwide in 2025, almost 60 million more than the previous year. The organization states that 2025 marked a new record year for international arrivals in the post-pandemic period. This creates a favorable framework for China, but it also intensifies competition because destinations around the world are fighting for the same travelers, the same airline capacity and the same spending. Tourism success therefore no longer depends only on the attractiveness of an individual country, but also on the speed of administrative procedures, the availability of digital services, safety, transport connectivity and perceptions of hospitality. In that respect, WTTC's warning to the US can also be read as a message to the whole sector: market share can be lost even when a country remains a large and economically strong destination.
For China, however, the challenges remain significant. Growth in inbound tourism requires stable international air links, clear information in multiple languages, broader acceptance of foreign cards outside the largest cities and consistent implementation of visa rules on the ground. Sustainability of destinations must also be taken into account, because large numbers of visitors can burden historic centers, natural sites and public transport. In its global research, WTTC emphasizes that the travel and tourism sector must simultaneously create jobs and economic growth, but also invest in sustainability, resilience and better coordination between the public and private sectors. In China's case, that balance will be especially important because this is a market whose changes can affect global supply chains in tourism, aviation, hospitality and digital services.
What China's rise means for the tourism industry
China's rise toward the top of global tourism is changing the way tourism companies and destinations compete for travelers. If growth in international visitor spending continues, a larger part of global marketing, airline routes and investment could be redirected toward the Chinese market and the broader Asia-Pacific area. WTTC estimates that China already represents the most important challenger to US dominance, and the comparison of 2025 indicators confirms that the gap is narrowing. The US is still the leader by total value of the tourism sector, but China is growing much faster, has strong domestic demand and is implementing policies that directly target an increase in inbound arrivals. For the international tourism industry, this means that China is no longer only a source of large numbers of travelers going out into the world, but also a destination that increasingly strongly attracts global spending.
In the coming years, the decisive question will be whether growth continues without major disruptions and whether measures for easier entry, digital payments and infrastructure investment remain effective enough for expansion beyond the largest cities. According to available data, China showed in 2025 that it can simultaneously increase the number of inbound visits, the value of spending and employment in the sector. At the same time, WTTC's figures show that the world's leading tourism markets can no longer rely only on reputation and existing infrastructure. Travelers choose destinations that are accessible, connected, easy to pay in and diverse enough to justify a longer stay. It is precisely in these areas that China is now building its strongest competitive advantage.
Sources:
- World Travel & Tourism Council – announcement on the position of the US and the growth of China's travel and tourism sector in 2025 (link)
- World Travel & Tourism Council – Economic Impact Research and global indicators for the travel and tourism sector (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on inbound visits and spending in 2025 (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – expansion of visa-free access, 240-hour transit and digital entry card (link)
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center – explanation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – payment guide for foreign visitors in China (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – data on China's transport infrastructure and high-speed rail network (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China on traffic in 2025 (link)
- Official website of the Government of the People's Republic of China / Xinhua – report on traffic at China's civil airports in 2025 (link)
- UN Tourism – World Tourism Barometer and global data on international tourist arrivals (link)