报道指出，外国游客来华旅游正从“打卡观光”转向“去景点化、重体验感、全域漫游”，跨城、多元、深度个性化行程增多，县域旅游受青睐。国家移民管理局预测中秋假期日均出入境旅客达225万人次，国庆假期日均达215万人次，单日最高通关量预计突破240万人次。2025年景德镇接待入境游客同比增长39.63%，入境旅游花费同比增长44.59%。今年上半年入境外籍人员2291.4万人次，同比增长20.4%，其中免签入境1781.5万人次，占比77.7%，同比增长30.6%。自2026年8月20日起，中国对吉尔吉斯斯坦、越南公民实施240小时过境免签和海南30天入境免签政策，240小时过境免签适用国家增至57…
Beijing's Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism released data on the 27th showing the city received 8.783 million visitors during the Mid-Autumn holiday (25-27 September), with total tourism spending of 11.54 billion yuan. Inbound visitors totalled 83,000, spending 780 million yuan. The top ten attractions or areas by visitor volume were Olympic Park, Wangfujing, Xidan, Liangma River International Style Waterfront, Tiananmen area, Qianmen Street, Ditan Park, Temple of Heaven Park, Shichahai Scenic Area and Nanluoguxiang. Under the theme 'Celebrate Both Festivals, Tour Beijing', the bureau worked with districts and market players on cultural tourism activities; suburban micro-vacations and…
交通运输部数据显示，2026年中秋3天全社会跨区域人员流动总量为6.42亿人次，比2024年中秋假期增长2.2%。国家移民管理局数据显示，中秋假期全国边检机关共保障670.9万人次中外人员出入境。接待人次方面，广东以2481.7万人次居首，山东1959.3万人次、四川1336.88万人次紧随其后。旅游花费方面，山东以150.2亿元居首，广东125.5亿元、北京115.4亿元位列其后。人均消费方面，北京以1313.90元居首，江苏1048.92元、天津876.25元位列其后。主要城市中，成都以815.6万人次和290.31亿元居首，但需注意其统计口径为“全市商品和服务消费之和”。北京接待入境游…
On September 28, Sanya released its first city culture reader 'Reading Sanya,' planned in Chinese, English, and Russian editions, with English and Russian versions to be launched next year. The book is structured around four themes: history and culture, revolutionary culture, marine culture, and folk culture. It is accompanied by six themed short video series and a comic book for the post-2010 generation. Residents and tourists can borrow it free at Sanya's library system, city study rooms, tourist information centers, and over 140 grassroots cultural service centers.
The 4th 'I Want to Go to China' short video contest awards ceremony and Shandong tourism promotion event was held at the China Cultural Center in Bangkok. Guided by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and hosted by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the China National Tourist Office in Bangkok, the event featured VR experiences and intangible cultural heritage zones, and launched customized themed products for the Thai market across six sections.
China's inbound tourism has continued to heat up this year, with foreign visitors spending actively. Visits to Beijing's Hongqiao Market, Silk Street and Wangfujing Dong'an Market found tech products and custom clothing favored, while commercial areas improved multilingual guides and departure tax refund services. Hongqiao Market averaged 8,000 daily visitors from January to July, with about 5,600 foreign visitors daily, roughly 70%. Silk Street recorded about 2 billion yuan in inbound visitor sales in the first half, hosted about 30,000 inbound tour groups and received over 160 groups daily. A centralized instant tax refund point recently opened at Hongqiao Market.
Audrey Hendley, President of American Express Travel, told Skift Global Forum that Millennial and Gen Z spending on American Express rose 40% in Q2 2026 and together they account for 65% of its new customers globally; the average new U.S. Platinum cardholder is 32 and Gold is 29. A survey found 75% of millennials would take a job with fewer benefits for more travel time. Hendley said premium is shifting from a single property standard toward experiences and time value, citing AI-assisted human service and the behavior-driven Sidecar lounge. Skift noted U.S. inbound tourism fell 11% in August 2026 and 7% in July 2026.
Thailand is targeting 1.5 million U.S. visitors in 2026 to draw higher-spending long-haul travelers and drive tourism revenue. U.S. arrivals reached 1.08 million last year; from January 1 to September 15 this year only 716,983 were recorded, per the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), meaning more than 780,000 additional American visitors are needed in the remaining three and a half months. TAT said its New York, Chicago and Los Angeles offices will coordinate around a "Value over Volume" strategy set at a September 17 meeting in New York. Bangkok-based tour operator EXO Travel reports softer forward U.S. demand.
The 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Power designates Beijing as a tourism hub city and a key inbound tourism city. The Party Group of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period it will focus on building a world-class tourism city and global tourism destination, improving five systems: public services, premium content creation, industry development, global promotion and market governance. Specific measures include facilitating inbound tourism customs clearance, payment, communications, accommodation, transport, reservations and guiding; focusing on centralized departure tax refund mechanisms; developing business and MICE tou…
On September 23, the Qinghai Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism held a media briefing to launch the 'Mountains and Rivers, Qinghai Invites' Golden Autumn Culture and Tourism Month. The event focuses on five dimensions: product supply, benefits for the people, cultural activities, opening up, and safety services. It introduced five premium autumn routes, including Lake and Mountain Pastoral, Colorful Forest Secret, Blue Water and Red Mountains, National Heritage, and Self-Drive Tour. The 'Qilian Mountain' tourist train will start on September 30. Qinghai partnered with seven platforms—UnionPay QuickPass, Ctrip, Meituan, Fliggy, Tongcheng, Shenzhou Car Rental, and ICBC—to issue 10 m…
At a September 24 State Council Information Office briefing on the 15th Five-Year Plan, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism set out its high-quality development agenda for culture and tourism. The ministry has drafted 15th Five-Year Plan programs for culture and tourism development and for building a tourism powerhouse, plus specialized plans covering the arts, public cultural services, intangible cultural heritage protection, and cultural industries, with deep culture-tourism integration as the main thread. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, national cultural industry revenue grew 8.4% annually on average, reaching RMB 20.8 trillion in 2025; domestic trips hit 6.52 billion and spending RMB 6.…
On September 23, Tongcheng Travel's international platform HopeGoo launched the 2026 "Hi Zhejiang" Hangzhou inbound-travel consumption vouchers, its first time distributing a government-led inbound-travel voucher program. Foreign and Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan users can claim hotel and attraction ticket vouchers via the HopeGoo app: 20% off hotel bookings over RMB 210, capped at RMB 210 off, and 20% off attraction tickets, capped at RMB 60 off. Vouchers are valid for seven days from claim, with one per category per user. The first batch runs from September 23 to December 25, 2026, for stays and visits through December 31, 2026.
As of September 18, Xinjiang Railway had run 80 tourist trains this year, including five cross-province services, carrying more than 24,500 domestic and international tourists. The New Oriental Express is planned for 35 trips this year, with 17 already operated. The Y933 train departing September 18 carried 91 tourists from multiple Chinese provinces, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as Malaysia, the United States and Australia, on a 12-day loop through northern and southern Xinjiang.
The General Office of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Government issued the 15th Five-Year Tourism Development Plan for Inner Mongolia. The plan targets significant high-quality tourism development by 2030, with domestic visitor arrivals aiming to grow about 4.9% annually, domestic tourism spending about 4.1% annually, and inbound visitor numbers and inbound tourism spending aiming to grow about 4.2% and 2.9% annually respectively. It outlines eight priority areas, a spatial layout of "one core leading, two wings coordinating, five belts linking, multiple poles supporting," and cross-sector integration of culture and tourism with primary, secondary, and tertiary industries.
The 2026 annual conference of the UK's Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (ATAS) was held in Northampton, England, on 21-22 September 2026, with China appearing as the event's lead partner country. China's London Tourist Office used the Mid-Autumn Festival occasion to stage a "Shared Moon at the Same Time" culture-and-tourism programme, presenting Chinese culture and new opportunities in China's tourism development to nearly 500 UK travel-industry representatives. The office joined airlines and travel agencies in exhibition booths, explaining new China travel scenarios alongside the visa-free policy, and many UK tour operators said they would add China itineraries to next year's…
The Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism held a media briefing on September 20, announcing a 15-day 'Autumn in Hangzhou' Mid-Autumn and National Day culture-tourism campaign from September 23 to October 7, featuring six flagship events, ten themes, 202 products and over 400 discount offers. The campaign focuses on rural, sports-and-performance, museum, arts and technology tourism integration, issues inbound tourism consumption vouchers for overseas visitors and upgrades the eight-service 'AI Hangzhou Easy Travel' system.
Meadin Research published an analysis of H1 2026 financial reports from 70 Chinese cultural tourism groups. Domestic trips reached 3.463 billion, up 5.4% year on year, while total spending rose 2.0% to RMB 3.21 trillion, showing strong volume but slower spending growth. Combined revenue of the 70 groups was RMB 180.67 billion, averaging RMB 2.581 billion, with average year-on-year growth of 2.93%. Combined net profit attributable to shareholders was RMB 7.103 billion, averaging RMB 101 million; 52 companies were profitable (about 74%) and 18 posted losses. The five groups with revenue above RMB 10 billion remained Trip.com Group-S, China Duty Free, Yuyuan, Huazhu Group-S and OCT A. The repo…
On Sept 18, Manzhouli's culture, sports, tourism, radio and television bureau announced that Weixing International Travel Service Co., Ltd. was approved, becoming the first foreign-invested travel agency in the Manzhouli area of the Inner Mongolia Free Trade Zone. The company has registered capital of RMB 2 million, completed business registration on Sept 9, with Russian investor Tsvetkova? (transliterated) as legal representative, and obtained its travel agency business license on Sept 15. Foreign-invested travel agency access is a cultural tourism innovation pilot in the Manzhouli area, with multiple local departments coordinating to streamline approval.
On September 16, the 'Good Neighbors, Wonderful Jilin' culture and tourism promotion event was held in Vladivostok, Russia. In 2025, Russia became Jilin's largest source market for inbound tourism. The event promoted new routes including Hunchun wellness holidays, Yanbian folk culture plus medical aesthetics, and province-wide eco tours, with Changchun leveraging direct flights to Vladivostok to cut cross-border travel time. Five pairs of Chinese and Russian companies signed cooperation agreements, and both sides issued a joint integrity and safety declaration.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Culture and Tourism Development, targeting deeper progress toward a culture and tourism powerhouse by 2030, with domestic trips reaching 8.3 billion, inbound trips 190 million, and average annual public cultural facility visits per resident 3.5. The plan deploys eight key tasks including artistic creation, cultural heritage protection, public services, industry development, market regulation, technology empowerment, exchanges and cooperation, and regional-urban-rural coordination, supported by 54 key projects.
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Culture and Tourism Development, targeting deeper progress toward a culture and tourism powerhouse by 2030, with 8.3 billion domestic trips, 190 million inbound trips, and 3.5 annual per-capita uses of public cultural facilities. The plan covers eight priority areas including artistic creation, cultural heritage protection, public services, industry development, market regulation, technology, exchanges, and regional coordination, supported by 54 key projects.
Pinchain Tourism reports that the 2026 World Tourism Cooperation and Development Conference was held at the Shougang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing, where the World Tourism City Development Report (2025-2026) was released. Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong ranked in the top ten of the global tourism city ranking, with Beijing fifth, up two places from last year. The report assesses 100 tourism cities across six dimensions: city visibility, industry prosperity, city intelligence, tourism safety, economic contribution and visitor satisfaction. National Immigration Administration data released in July showed 22.914 million inbound foreign visits in the first half of 20…
From September 15 to 21, a delegation of 31 travel trade professionals, travel media journalists, and influencers from nine European countries—the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden—visited Gansu on a seven-day, six-night Silk Road exploration trip at the invitation of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. On September 15, the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism held a dedicated tourism promotion event, where the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau and selected local travel agencies presented routes tailored to European visitors. The…
Trip.com Group reported second-quarter 2026 net revenue of RMB 15.7 billion, up 6% year-on-year, with adjusted EBITDA of RMB 4.6 billion, down from RMB 4.9 billion a year earlier. A roughly RMB 5.2 billion one-time antitrust charge from the State Administration for Market Regulation led to a net loss of RMB 2.4 billion; excluding the penalty, net profit was RMB 2.7 billion. By segment, accommodation booking revenue was RMB 6.6 billion, up 6%; transportation ticketing revenue was RMB 5.4 billion, down 1%; packaged tours revenue was RMB 1.2 billion, up 8%; and corporate travel management revenue was RMB 771 million, up 11%. Inbound travel revenue continued high double-digit year-on-year growt…
Ke Ke, Party Secretary and Director of Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, outlines Hubei's path to becoming a world-renowned cultural tourism destination under the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Tourism Power. The article proposes five measures: building a cultural highland, optimizing spatial layout to create a key hub on the Yangtze River International Golden Tourism Belt, enriching quality products and services, deepening integration and innovation to cultivate a pillar cultural tourism industry, and expanding the 'Zhiyin Hubei' brand. The plan calls for high-quality development of the Yangtze River International Golden Tourism Belt, with Wuhan and Yichang included i…
The 2026 'Silk Road Influencers Beijing Tour' launched on September 14, inviting 10 influencers from 9 Arab countries to visit Beijing. Beijing's Publicity Department stated that in the first half of 2026, Beijing received 3.2727 million inbound visitors, up 32.6% year-on-year. The event runs until September 18, with influencers visiting various sites and sharing their experiences with Arab audiences via livestreams and posts. The event has been held 12 times since 2016.
Beijing has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for High-Level Open Economy Development, which calls for fully utilizing unilateral visa-free entry, mutual visa exemption, 240-hour transit visa-free entry, and port group tourist visa policies to enrich inbound tourism products and itineraries and optimize the inbound consumption environment. The plan also promotes high-quality development of services trade and digital trade, coordinated development of Beijing's international air passenger and cargo transport, and an improved international air express network. It calls for expanding the coverage of departure tax-refund stores and promoting "buy now, refund now," accelerating construction of a glo…
Zhangjiajie Airport launched a 'one ticket tours Zhangjiajie' benefit product, linking nearly 30 merchants into a full-chain matrix covering tours, lodging, dining, shopping and performances; travellers holding a valid boarding pass from any Hunan airport within seven days can enjoy discounts of up to 50%. During the summer, about 30,000 discounted visits were recorded across participating scenic areas, and the Grand Canyon scenic area saw discounted travellers double from about 4,000 in July to nearly 8,000 in August. The airport also introduced off-peak entry routes via Tianzishan and Yangjiajie and opened a comprehensive service centre for overseas visitors. Since 2026, it has handled ov…
China Tourism News reported that Hunan is using culture and tourism to spur consumption through new scenes, incentives, and service quality. In the first half, total domestic and inbound visitor arrivals rose 4.94% year on year on a like-for-like basis and total visitor spending rose 4.58%; inbound arrivals reached 1.2573 million and inbound spending US$788 million, up 16.59% and 30.90% respectively. The province held over 2,000 consumption-promotion events, issued more than 50 million yuan in vouchers, and designated 20 provincial-level nighttime culture and tourism consumption clusters. Since July, Zhangjiajie's Tianmen Mountain has averaged 15,000 visitors daily, with inbound visitors ab…
According to the National Immigration Administration, from January to August 2026, border inspection authorities processed 499 million inbound and outbound trips, up 8.7% year on year. This included 242 million trips by mainland residents, 196 million by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, and 61.287 million by foreign nationals, up 10%, 8.9% and 19.5% respectively. Visa-free foreign entries reached 23.72 million, accounting for 77.6% of total foreign entries and up 26.8% year on year. The administration said it will continue to promote immigration policy innovation and optimize border inspection models.
From January to July this year, Kunming received 924,500 inbound visitors, up 22.92% year on year. The Kunming border inspection station implemented six facilitation measures including 'one group, one policy' clearance, raising average port clearance efficiency by about 25% and cutting transit procedure time from 46 minutes to 6 minutes. In the first half of the year, Kunming airport port inspected 696,800 foreign entries and exits, of which about 261,600 entered under visa-free or transit visa-free policies. Kunming launched or resumed multiple international routes and introduced differentiated inbound tourism products.
The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) runs from 9 to 13 September in Beijing, featuring for the first time a 'China Services' zone in the core theme exhibition area and 'going global' service zones in several thematic exhibitions. The article argues that deep integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions is an inevitable choice for upgrading service consumption. Data shows services exports grew 17.6% in the first half of the year; inbound tourism drove travel services exports to RMB 229.2 billion, up 31.1%; and personal culture and entertainment services exports grew 57.2%. About 90 countries, regions and international organisations and over 1,…
Furong Town in Xiangxi, Hunan, attracts foreign tourists with Tujia intangible heritage experiences such as welcome wine, brocade weaving, and hand-waving dance. In 2025, it received 338,000 overseas visitors, up 57.14% year-on-year, becoming a highlight of inbound tourism.
On September 9, Jiangsu Province held a promotion conference on high-quality cultural tourism development in Jiangyin. The meeting outlined five key tasks, including optimizing scenic area operations, deepening cross-sector integration, extending industry chains, attracting international visitors, and emphasizing meticulous and efficient services. Several policy measures were issued, covering inbound tourism consumption, performing arts market growth, and promoting a 'ticket economy'.
On September 5, the 2026 Lu'an Autumn Culture and Tourism Consumption Season kicked off at the city's Sports Center, hosted by the Lu'an Culture and Tourism Bureau under the theme 'Autumn Colors on the Dabie Mountains, Wellness in Lu'an.' The event offers 7 boutique travel routes and 6 product series covering leaf-peeping, wellness, food, and more. One million yuan in tourism vouchers will be distributed, with first-time subsidies for inbound visitors. A 'ticket-stub economy plus vouchers' model allows discounts at attractions and hotels with tickets from events like 'Anhui Wonderful Performances.' An intangible heritage market is also featured.
China's inbound tourism is heating up, with foreign investors, executives, and entrepreneurs visiting Chinese factories and tech companies. Customized tech inspection tours are in high demand, with five-day trips priced at 100,000 yuan. Behind this is the rise of China's AI and robotics industries.
The 2026 China Culture and Tourism Industry Expo in Tianjin attracted 2,500+ enterprises from 20 countries. In 2025, China received over 150 million inbound trips, with 30 million visa-free entries. International firms see growing opportunities.
About 80 European drivers traveled from France in 33 vintage cars along the Silk Road, driving about 5,700 km in China and finally arriving in Beijing. The event promoted cultural tourism exchange and showcased China's self-drive tourism potential.
At a State Council Information Office press conference, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism outlined plans to expand development space for heritage industries such as silk, tea, and porcelain. Efforts will focus on three areas: intangible cultural heritage protection, business model innovation, and promotion. Initiatives include bringing heritage products into airports, high-speed rail, and duty-free shops, creating immersive experiences, and launching themed inbound tourism routes.
China and Vietnam launched the 2026-2027 Tourism Cooperation Year, and China implemented 240-hour transit visa-free and Hainan 30-day visa-free policies for Vietnamese citizens. Vietnam outbound travel to China is rising, shifting from sightseeing to immersive experiences, with growing interest in niche destinations and independent travel. Guangxi border crossings saw significant increases in Vietnamese visitors. Recommendations include targeted promotion and product innovation.