2021 China Tourism Facts & Figures

Following 2020, 2021 was still a dark year for China tourism, due to the influence and travel restrictions of COVID-19.
 In 2021, inbound tourist arrivals to China declined to 31.98 million, accounting for 22% of the 2019 figures.

Statistics from the China Tourism Academy indicates that outbound tourist numbers in 2021 dropped to 25.62 million, representing a 17% compared with 2019.

Domestically, the total number of tourists amounted to 3.246 billion in 2021, marking a 54% recovery from 2019 levels.
 In 2021, as a result of the continuous impact of the epidemic, inbound tourism in China almost stagnated. People came to China mainly for business activities and study. According to the China Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in 2021, China received 31.98 million inbound tourists and achieved an inbound tourism revenue of 20.8 billion, registering year-on-year increases of 18% and 23% respectively, and recovering to 22% and 16% of the 2019 levels respectively.
 South Korea, Japan, Russia, the United States, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Australia
 In 2021, outbound tourism in China remained largely stagnant. According to the China Tourism Academy, the number of outbound tourists reached 25.62 million, marking a 17% recovery from 2019 levels and a 27% increase compared to 2020.

Data from the China Tourism Academy revealed that outbound tourists primarily prioritize destinations where the epidemic situation is fully controlled. A significant 82.8% of consumers will only travel to a destination once they are assured of the absence of new COVID-19 infections. Furthermore, most of the tourists tend to avoid crowded tourist spots.

Regarding travel duration, most outbound trips lasted for less than one week. Over 60% of outbound tourists plan to stay for 1-7 days, with nearly half of them opting for a 4-7 day stay. Conversely, the proportion of tourists planning to stay for more than 15 days is less than 10%.
 Macau, Australia, the United States, Hong Kong, France, Japan, Thailand, India, New Zealand, and Myanmar.
 In 2021, domestic tourism witnessed a recovery compared to the previous year, yet it still hadn't fully bounced back to the pre-epidemic level.

The total number of domestic tourists reached 3.246 billion, increased by 367 million and marking a 12.8% year-on-year increase and recovering to 54.0% of the 2019 figures. Domestic tourism revenue, totaling CNY 2.92 trillion, increased by CNY 0.69 trillion or 31.0% year-on-year, equivalent to 51.0% of 2019’s revenue. The per-capita consumption per tour amounted to CNY 899.28, a 16.2% increase of CNY 125.14 compared to the same period last year. 

From a quarterly perspective, the domestic tourism situation in the first and second quarters was more favorable than that in 2020. However, due to the sporadic domestic epidemic in the second half of the year, the summer vacation, which was originally the peak season for the tourism industry, was disrupted by the epidemic. Since the fourth quarter is the off-season for the tourism industry, the number of domestic tourists was less than that in other quarters.

Regarding holiday tourism statistics in 2021, the popularity of travel during the Qingming Festival and May Day holidays increased, whereas it declined during the National Day holiday.
 

	Chinese New Year	Qingming Festival	May Day	Dragon Boat Festival	National Day
Tourist Trips (million)	256	102	230	89.14	515
Year-on-Year Growth	15.7%	144.6%	119.7%	94.1%	-1.5%
Rates compared with those in 2019	75.3%	94.5%	103.2%	98.7%	70.1%
Tourism Revenue (CNY 100 million)	3,011	272	1,132	294	3,891
Year-on-Year Growth	8.2%	228.9%	138.1%	139.7%	-4.7%
Rates compared with those in 2019	58.6%	56.7%	77.0%	74.8%	59.9%

See China Tourism Facts & Figures by Year: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007