--- title: "Institution | With a conservative forecast of a 12% growth rate, the number of domestic travelers in 2026 is expected to exceed 7.2 billion" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/280718063.md" description: "According to the 2025 China Tourism Market Analysis Report released by the MaiDian Research Institute, it is expected that by 2026, the number of domestic travelers will exceed 7.2 billion. In 2025, domestic residents' travel reached 6.522 billion trips, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%. Both inbound and outbound tourism also achieved steady growth, with inbound tourists exceeding 154 million and the import value of outbound tourism services reaching USD 253.78 billion. Despite challenges such as geopolitical tensions and economic slowdown, the number of international tourists is expected to grow by 3% to 4%" datetime: "2026-03-27T02:36:09.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280718063.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/280718063.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280718063.md) --- # Institution | With a conservative forecast of a 12% growth rate, the number of domestic travelers in 2026 is expected to exceed 7.2 billion On March 27, the MaiDian Research Institute released the 2025 China Tourism Market Analysis Report. In 2025, the international tourism market will grow steadily, and tourist consumption will remain strong. According to the "World Tourism Economic Trends Report (2026)" released by the World Tourism Cities Federation, the total number of global tourists will reach 15.9 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%; total tourism revenue will reach USD 6.9 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. The Chinese tourism market is recovering strongly at a rate far exceeding the global average, becoming the core engine driving global tourism growth. In terms of domestic travel, the number of domestic residents traveling will reach 6.522 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%; total domestic tourism expenditure will reach CNY 6.3 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. Urban and rural tourism consumption will rise simultaneously, with rural tourism growth leading the way. The comprehensive driving effect of cultural and tourism consumption is prominent, with active development in the performance economy, nighttime economy, ticket economy, and ice and snow economy, effectively extending the consumption chain. Inbound tourism will achieve a historic breakthrough, with the number of inbound tourists exceeding 154 million for the year, a year-on-year increase of 17.1%; inbound tourism consumption will reach USD 131.1 billion, with significant growth in foreign tourists. Visa-free entry facilitation, upgrades in cross-border payment, and increased direct flight routes will jointly promote the quantity and quality of inbound tourism, making China one of the world's top tourist destinations. Outbound tourism will continue its steady growth trend, with China's travel service imports reaching USD 253.78 billion in 2025, maintaining its position as the world's largest. Overall, the three major tourism markets—domestic, inbound, and outbound—are flourishing, with both volume and price rising. As the "14th Five-Year Plan" comes to a close, China's tourism industry presents a remarkable "report card." Looking ahead to 2026, on the international level, intensified geopolitical conflicts, disrupted air networks, and slowing global economic growth will weaken tourist confidence and affect travel safety and costs, posing multiple challenges and uncertainties for the international tourism industry. According to the World Tourism Organization's forecast, assuming the Asia-Pacific tourism industry continues to recover, global economic conditions remain favorable, and geopolitical conflicts do not escalate, the number of international tourists is expected to grow by 3% to 4% compared to 2025. In terms of travel predictions, National Geographic believes that the return of retro trends, the rise of "event travel," unique indigenous experiences, niche healing journeys, and the cruise craze among Generation Z will become core trends. The global tourism authority media Skift has released 19 development trends, including experiential retail, music residency "live tourism," the strong return of high-end travel in Asia, the emergence of African tourism, and the "second spring" of train travel. The future tourism market will accelerate its transformation towards deep experiences, personalized expression, and cultural resonance, with the rise of diverse and segmented tracks continuing to reshape the value and form of global travel. Looking ahead to 2026, on the domestic front, the "15th Five-Year Plan" is starting, and provinces across the country are establishing key focuses and goals for tourism development, with deep integration of culture and tourism as the main line, aiming for strong tourism provinces and tourism brand building, fully embarking on a new journey of high-quality development. On the market side, as residents' consumption capacity improves, tourism supply continues to optimize, transportation infrastructure becomes more convenient, and vacation systems are enriched (including statutory holidays, spring and autumn breaks, and snow holidays), residents' enthusiasm for travel will continue to rise According to a conservative forecast with a 12% growth rate, the number of domestic travelers in China will exceed 7.2 billion by 2026. Considering practical factors such as conservative and rational consumer spending and the difficulty of significantly increasing income in the short term, the total expenditure on travel is estimated to grow at an 8% rate, with the total domestic travel expenditure expected to reach 6.8 trillion yuan by 2026. In 2026, China will continue to expand its high-level opening-up, with visa facilitation policies and favorable conditions for inbound tourism being continuously strengthened (such as the issuance of the "Policy Measures for Promoting Travel Service Exports and Expanding Inbound Consumption" by the Ministry of Commerce and nine other departments on March 20), and the recovery of international routes accelerating. The number of inbound tourists is expected to maintain stable growth. Considering the relatively high base in 2025 and the normalization of growth in 2026, it is estimated that the number of inbound tourists will exceed 170 million for the entire year, with the expenditure on inbound tourism expected to grow at a rate of 30%, reaching a total of 170 billion USD in 2026 ### Related Stocks - [562510.CN](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/562510.CN.md) - [PGJ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PGJ.US.md) - [DRAG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DRAG.US.md) - [MCHI.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MCHI.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [ROI-Hormuz closure extends well beyond oil to threaten Chinese EVs: Russell](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285937238.md) - [European Undervalued Small Caps With Insider Action For May 2026](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286721352.md) - [Undiscovered Gems in Europe for May 2026](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286722063.md) - [Economic and event calendar in Asia Monday, May 18, 2026 - Chinese April data](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286681923.md) - [3 energy stocks that are quietly becoming the trades of the year](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286790976.md)