China’s Domestic Tourism Surge: A Monumental 6.79 Trillion Yuan Spend In 2024

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Chinese travelers are embracing domestic tourism, opting for small towns and local culinary experiences instead of long-haul vacations this year. Olivia Palamountain shares the trend.

Chinese tourists are projected to spend a record 6.79 trillion yuan (US$938 billion) on domestic vacations this year, marking the first time spending has exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to a report from the World Travel and Tourism Council and Oxford Economics.

This represents an 11% increase compared to 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted global travel.

The surge in domestic tourism sees travelers exploring cities for local delights like spicy street foods and smaller towns in a “reverse travel” trend, as highlighted by Business Standard.

This rise in local travel is compensating for the slower recovery of international travel to and from China.

According to the WTTC, employment in Travel & Tourism is set to account for 10.6% of all jobs in China this year, just 2% below 2019 levels.

Despite this positive GDP growth and job recovery, international visitor spending in 2024 is still expected to be over 25% lower than in 2019.

For context, airlines allocated approximately 1.6 million seats on international flights from China during October 1 to October 7, around 20% below pre-pandemic capacity (Bloomberg).

To boost inbound tourism and attract investment, China has recently relaxed visa requirements for travelers from countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and several European nations.