China's tourism sector achieved a historic milestone in 2025, with inbound trips surging to 150 million—a 17% year-on-year increase—as announced by Culture and Tourism Minister Sun Yeli during the 14th National People's Congress. Foreign visitor spending rose sharply by 40%, reaching $130 billion, driven by streamlined visa policies and digital payment innovations.
The expansion of China's unilateral visa-free policy to 50 countries facilitated over 30 million visa-free entries last year. "A spontaneous trip to China has become very realistic," Sun stated, highlighting efforts to simplify travel logistics. Mobile payments played a pivotal role, with inbound tourists spending 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) through platforms like Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Domestic tourism also shattered records, with 6.5 billion trips nationwide in 2025 and Spring Festival 2026 travel hitting 596 million trips. The sector's 6.3 trillion yuan ($875 billion) revenue underscores the growing "experience economy," which blends cultural and sporting events with tourism. Sun emphasized plans to deepen culture-tourism integration, creating new travel brands that showcase China's heritage.
