Spring Festival boosts China's inbound tourism, Guangzhou leads

During the Spring Festival period, China's inbound tourism market witnessed explosive growth, with Guangzhou becoming one of the popular destinations for foreign tourists.

According to data from Trip.com, during the Spring Festival period in 2024, inbound tourism orders increased by more than tenfold year-on-year, with significant source countries including Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

China's unilateral visa exemption policy has spurred the influx of tourists from France, Germany, Italy, and various other countries, resulting in a doubling of inbound tourism orders during the Spring Festival compared to 2019. Among the sought-after destinations for foreign tourists are cities such as Shanghai and Beijing, with Guangzhou particularly standing out and ranking among the top three choices.

The China Inbound Tourism Development Report (2023-2024) shows that, with the recovery of international flight routes and the increase in entry facilitation measures, the outlook for the recovery of China's inbound tourism market in 2024 is optimistic, with the foreign inbound tourism market expected to recover to 50 percent of the levels in 2019. Inbound tourists expressed high satisfaction with experiencing Chinese culture, cuisine, healthcare, and more.

At the same time, the demand for outbound tourism among Chinese tourists is also strong, with Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea being popular choices.

Domestically, Guangzhou attracted more than 15.55 million tourists with its rich cultural and tourism activities, with the total expenditure on culture and tourism increasing by nearly 65 percent year-on-year.