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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 China

Data 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
- Last updated on Oct. 31, 2022 -
Questions & Answers on 2018 China Tourism Facts & Figures
Asked by Edo from JAPAN | Mar. 07, 2019 18:40Reply
What is number of Japanese visitors to China in 2017 and 2018?
Answers (3)
Answered by Daisy from SINGAPORE | Mar. 10, 2019 18:39
00Reply


Hi, you may find some useful information on Japanese websites and there is no specific numbers on Chinese websites.
Answered by Naomi from INDONESIA | Jul. 02, 2019 01:42
00Reply


Can you give links. General Figures will be fine, no need detail ans specific
Answered by Charlotte from UKRAINE | Jul. 02, 2019 18:31
00Reply


Sorry, the links are not allowed to put here. You can search some English websites on google and you may find the statistics.
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