China’s 2025 tourism boom: 65.22 billion domestic trips and inbound travel surges, driven by tech and liberalised entry

Market breaks records, tourism becomes a services engine

China’s tourism sector hit historic highs in 2025, with domestic trips reaching 65.22 billion and total domestic travel spending climbing to RMB 6.3 trillion, according to official statistics. Inbound tourism also rebounded strongly: 154.5 million inbound visitors and inbound spending of $131.1 billion, while travel-service exports rose to $55.16 billion — a new growth engine helping to narrow the country’s services trade deficit. Short sentence. Big shift.

What’s driving the rebound?

Multiple forces stacked up: visa‑free entry expansions and “instant” departure tax refunds broadened cross‑border demand; new holiday experiments (spring, autumn and snow breaks) and major events — from regional sports series to concerts — lengthened and flattened the seasonality of travel. It has been reported that AI platforms such as DeepSeek (DeepSeek) are reshaping the travel-service ecosystem, powering smarter discovery, ticketing and personalised itineraries. Rural residents’ trips and spending rose faster than urban counterparts, underlining how transport and income improvements are unlocking new demand.

Holiday and consumption patterns — more trips, lower per‑capita spend

Why are totals rising but per‑person spending dipping? Domestic trips grew 16.2% year‑on‑year while per‑trip average spending fell to about RMB 966, a “volume up, price moderating” pattern driven by broader participation and more budget‑conscious urban travelers. Holiday peaks still matter — the eight‑day Spring Festival alone recorded roughly 501 million domestic trips — yet the market is shifting toward “four‑season” demand supported by events, family travel and what has been dubbed the “ticket‑stub economy” for event‑driven consumption, reportedly a new growth point.

Implications amid geopolitics

The rebound comes as China remains the world’s largest outbound tourism spender and, simultaneously, sees inbound tourism restore its international appeal. Outbound choices cluster in a “five‑hour flight circle” and visa‑friendly markets; inbound gains — particularly via visa liberalisation — are helping services exports recover amid broader geopolitical tensions and export controls that have constrained other parts of China’s tech and trade agenda. For airlines, hotels and travel platforms, 2025 is a market of scale and diversity — but also of new policy risks and competitive pressures as China leans on travel to boost service‑sector resilience.