China Inbound Tourism in 2017

According to reports from Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People’s Republic of China, China inbound tourism trips have reached 139.48 million in 2017, a rise of around 0.8% over last year. The inbound trips by foreign tourists grew by 3.6% year on year. The overall inbound tourists staying overnight in China increased by 2.5% in the whole year. 

There are several reasons for this: more convenient visa policies, various cultural activities between China and foreign countries and the promotion of the “One Belt One Road” program. Besides, China is a safe country with diverse scenic areas, unique culture, long history and delicious foods which are attracting to tourists. 
 

 

Sources	Number of Trips (Unit in 1,000,000 Trips )	Growth over 2016(%)
Total Inbound Overnight Trips	60.74	2.5
Foreign Visitors	22.48	3.8
Hong Kong Visitors	27.75	0.1
Macau Visitors	52.2	8.6
Taiwan Visitors	52.9	4.0

 

Sources	Inbound Tourism Revenue (Unit in 1,000,000, 000 dollars )	Growth over 2016(%)
Total Inbound Tourism Revenue	1,234	2.9
Foreign Visitors	695	4.1
Hong Kong Visitors	301	-1.5
Macau Visitors	83	8.0
Taiwan Visitors	156	4.0

1. Beijing	2. Shanghai	3. Guangzhou	4. Xi'an	5. Chengdu
6. Chongqing	7. Guilin	8. Kunming	9. Shenyang

 

Countries	Rate taken up (%)
1. Burma	22.5
2. Vietnam	15.2
3. South Korea	9
4. Japan	6.2
5. Russia	5.5
6. America	5.4
7. Mongolia	4.3
8. Malaysia	2.9
9. Philippines	2.7
10. Singapore	2.2
11. India	1.9
12. Canada	1.9
13. Thailand	1.8
14. Australia	1.7
15. Indonesia	1.6
16. Germany	1.5
17. Britain	1.4

 

Asians still account for the majority. Inbound trips from the countries included in the One Belt and One Road program increased significantly. Majority of visitors are sightseers, making up 37.1%. Business travel comes second, taking up 13.3%. The chart below shows the detailed statistics, based on four categories: Tourist Source, Age, Gender and Purpose.

Categories	Division	Unit in %
Tourist Source	Asia	74.6
	America	8.2
	Europe	13.7
	Oceania	2.1
	Africa	1.5
Age	Under 14	3.1
	15 - 24	13.2
	25 - 44	49.9
	45 - 64	29.2
	Over 65	4.5
Gender	Male	60.7
	Female	39.3
Purpose	Meeting/Business	13.3
	Sightseeing and leisure	37.1
	Visiting relatives and friends	2.6
	Working staff	14.8
	Others	32.3

 

In 2018, it is expected that China inbound tourism trips will reach up to 142 million and the total revenue will be USD 127.3 billion, grew by 1.4% and 2.5% respectively over 2017.

Data source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People's Republic of China