2018 China Tourism Facts & Figures
2018 China Tourism Statistics
| Statistics in 2018 | Increasing Rate over 2017 | |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound Tourism | 141.2 million trips | 1.2% |
| Inbound tourism revenue | UD 127.1 billion | 3.0% |
| Outbound tourism | 149.72 million trips | 14.7% |
| Domestic tourism | 5539 million trips | 10.8% |
| Domestic tourism revenue | CNY 5.13 trillion | 12.3% |
| Total Revenue | CNY 5.97 trillion | 10.5% |
China Inbound Tourism in 2018
In the year of 2018, China inbound tourist arrivals reached 141.2 million with an increase of 1.2% over the same period of last year. The number of overnight tourists was 62.9 million, increasing by 3.6% over the year 2017. The detailed information is showed in the following two tables.
| Number of Tourist Arrivals (Unit in 1,000,000 persons) | Growth over the same period of 2017 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Tourist Arrivals | 141.2 | 1.2 |
| Foreign Tourists | 30.54 | 4.7 |
| From Hong Kong | 79.37 | -0.5 |
| From Macau | 25.15 | 2 |
| From Taiwan | 6.14 | 4.5 |
| Number of Tourist Arrivals (Unit in 1,000,000 persons) | Growth over the same period of 2017 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Overnight Tourist Arrivals | 62.9 | 3.6 |
| Foreign Tourists | 23.64 | 5.2 |
| From Hong Kong | 28.2 | 1.6 |
| From Macau | 5.53 | 5.9 |
| From Taiwan | 5.53 | 4.5 |
Top 10 China Inbound Tourism Destinations in 2018
| Order | City | Number of Tourist Arrivals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shenzhen | 12.07 million |
| 2 | Guangzhou | 9 million |
| 3 | Shanghai | 8.73 million |
| 4 | Hangzhou | 4.02 million |
| 5 | Beijing | 3.93 million |
| 6 | Xiamen | 3.86 million |
| 7 | Chongqing | 3.58 million |
| 8 | Tianjin | 3.45 million |
| 9 | Chengdu | 3.01 million |
| 10 | Wuhan | 2.5 million |
Top Source Countries / Regions of 2018 China Inbound Tourism
Myanmar, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, America, Russia, Mongolia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, India, Canada, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Germany and UK.
Asian is China’s largest inbound tourism market.
Asian people constituted the major part of China inbound tourists, occupying 76.3%. Europeans took the second largest market share, accounting to 12.5%. The third and fourth largest source continents were America and Oceania, with the share of 7.9% and 1.9% respectively. Africa tourists took up the share of 1.4%.
Sightseeing travelers ranked first.
Sightseeing was still most tourists’ motive of travelling to China. The next largest group was who came to China for business or meeting.
| Travel Purpose | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sightseeing and leisure | 33.5% |
| Working staff | 15.5% |
| Meeting/ Business | 12.8% |
| Visiting relatives and friends | 2.8% |
| Others | 35.3% |
Young people aged 25-44 took the majority.
Among the inbound tourists, tourists aged from 25 to 44 took the biggest share of 49.9%. Then came to people who aged from 45 to 54.
| Age | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Under 15 | 3.4% |
| 15 - 24 | 13.7% |
| 25 - 44 | 49.9% |
| 45 - 64 | 28.4% |
| Over 64 | 4.6% |
China Outbound Tourism in 2018
In the year of 2018, China outbound tourist arrivals totaled 149.72 million, contributing to the economic development of the local area.
Top 10 China Outbound Tourism Source Cities in 2018
Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Kunming, Wuhan, Xi’an and Hangzhou
Top 10 China Outbound Travel Destinations in 2018
Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, America, Cambodia, Russia and the Philippines
China Tourism Statistics during Spring Festival in 2018
During the Chinese New Year in 2018, Anti-season travel is a popular theme for outbound tourism, and the preferred destinations for Chinese tourists remain mainly in warm Southeast Asia. Vacations on islands become more and more popular among Chinese tourists, especially family groups.
More and more Chinese tourists prefer to piece together the holiday, weekend and annual leave to make the short holiday a long one. The average days spent overseas during 2018 Spring Festival is 8.5, with 57% of Chinese tourists choosing 6-9 days. Among them, Chinese visitors to some closer destinations such as Japan and Thailand spent an average of 7.8 days. For Chinese tourists who choose destinations such as Australia, Europe and the United States, the number of days spent on the trip is relatively long, averaging 12.6 days. Spring Festival travel is also the best time to reward parents and children.
Data Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People's Republic of ChinaData Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People's Republic of China
See China Tourism Facts & Figures by Year: 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007