News & Updates

China Launches Tax Refund 2.0 Policy With 8 Measures to Boost Inbound Shopping
On May 18, 2026, China's Ministry of Commerce, together with the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and three other central departments, officially released the "Notice on Stepping Up Optimization of Departure Tax Refund Measures to Expand Inbound Consumption" — widely dubbed Tax Refund 2.0.

"China Travel" Goes Viral: 35 Million Foreign Visitors Spent $131 Billion in 2025
What started as a social media hashtag has become a full-blown tourism revolution. "China Travel" — the catch-all term for the surge of international visitors exploring China — has transformed from an online buzzword into real foot traffic at ports nationwide.

China 240-Hour Transit Visa Fuels Q1 2026 Inbound Tourism Surge
China's aggressive visa policy overhaul is paying off in record numbers. The expanded 240-hour transit visa — replacing the previous 72-hour and 144-hour schemes — has become a cornerstone of the country's inbound tourism revival, with Q1 2026 data showing foreign arrivals reaching 21.33 million, a 22.3% year-on-year increase.

China Launches "Inbound-Friendly 5·19" Campaign as Visa-Free Entry Hits 78.9%
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has rolled out the "Inbound-Friendly 5·19" campaign, a sweeping initiative timed with the 2026 China Tourism Day (May 19) celebration period running from April 23 through May 31. The program brings together online travel platforms, major inbound tour operators, and financial payment institutions to deliver a fundamentally smoother experience for international visitors — from book

China's Inbound Tourism Surges 9.9%, Doubling Global Average in 2026
China's tourism economy is outpacing the world by a wide margin. According to the latest data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), China's tourism economy grew at 9.9% year-on-year in 2025–2026 — more than double the global average of 4.1%.

China to Announce Enhanced Tax Refund Measures as Cross-Province 'Shop-and-Refund' Expands to 6 Provinces
China's State Council Information Office will hold a press conference at 3:00 PM on May 18, where Vice Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping, together with officials from the State Taxation Administration and the municipal governments of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, will introduce measures to "strengthen and optimize departure tax refund policies and expand inbound consumption." The announc

Beijing Daxing Airport Hits 20M Passengers, Adding Milan-Lisbon-Bali Routes as Foreign Travelers Surge 40%
Beijing Daxing International Airport crossed the 20 million passenger mark on May 14—six days ahead of its 2025 pace—with daily peaks setting all-time records. More significantly for the inbound tourism industry, the airport's foreign passenger count has surged over 40% year-on-year, and three major new international routes launching in June will further expand its reach into Europe and Sou

China Tourism Day 2026: 100+ Scenic Sites Go Half-Price May 17-19 as Nation Prepares for Peak Inbound Weekend
The 16th China Tourism Day falls on May 19, 2026, and the promotional push is unprecedented in scale. From Shanghai's 56 half-price attractions to Chongqing's 30+ free-entry sites, from Disney's specially priced afternoon tickets to Jiuzhaigou's combination discounts, scenic areas across the country are rolling out their most aggressive pricing of the year.

From Sightseeing to Immersion: How 'Chinamaxxing' Is Rewriting Inbound Travel
On May 10, TikTok travel blogger Christian Grossi posted a video about his China trip. He did not point his camera at the Great Wall or the Forbidden City. Instead, he filmed himself at a rural guesthouse in Guilin—mountains and water in the background, a cup of unexpectedly good coffee in hand.

WTTC Predicts China Will Overtake US as World's Largest Tourism Economy by 2030
The World Travel & Tourism Council has issued its most definitive forecast yet: China is on track to overtake the United States as the world's largest tourism economy within three to four years. The projection, backed by data from WTTC and its research partner Chase Travel (JPMorgan Chase), marks a turning point in global tourism economics—and the numbers explain why.

2026 World Mayor Dialogue·Chengdu: 26 Nations Gather as China's Western Hub Opens Wider
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is hosting two landmark international events this week that signal a broader shift in China's tourism geography: the 2026 World Mayor Dialogue·Chengdu (May 13-15) and the 2026 Chengdu International Sister City Cooperation and Development Conference (May 14-16).

China Travel Day 2026 Launches 'Inbound-Friendly' Campaign With Major Platform Perks
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has unveiled the "Inbound-Friendly 5·19" campaign for the 2026 China Travel Day, running from April 23 through May 31. Announced on May 12 by the Ministry's Market Management Department, the initiative represents the most coordinated cross-platform push yet to make China's inbound tourism ecosystem genuinely frictionless—and it arrives just as the country's inbound market

From 'China Travel' to 'China Shopping': Buying Spree Becomes the New Inbound Tourism Engine
A quiet revolution is underway in China's inbound tourism market. Foreign visitors are no longer coming just to see the Great Wall or the Terracotta Warriors—they are coming to shop. And the data suggests "China Shopping" is rapidly becoming as significant an economic force as "China Travel."
Online travel platform data shows inbound tour orders surged 173 percent year-on-year ahead of the 2026 May Day h

Beyond Beijing and Shanghai: Inbound Tourism Surges in China's Second-Tier Cities
The map of China's inbound tourism is being redrawn. While Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou remain the foundation of foreign arrivals, a powerful "going west, going deep" trend is pushing international visitors into cities that rarely appeared on any foreign itinerary just two years ago.

"Becoming Chinese" Sweeps Global Social Media: How a Cup of Hot Water Unlocked Billions in Consumer Spending
News Category
Viral & Trends
Executive Summary
Chinese American creator Sherry Zhu's "Becoming Chinese" series has gone viral on TikTok, inspiring millions of global users to adopt Chinese daily lifestyle routines, from drinking hot water and wearing slippers to avoiding raw vegetables in winter, brewing goji berry tea, and practicing tai chi.

2026 May Day Holiday Travel Surge: Rail Network Runs 13,000 Daily Trains with Overnight High-Speed Services Added
News Category
Events & Updates
Executive Summary
The 2026 May Day holiday (May 1-5) is seeing a major travel surge, with China's rail network running approximately 13,000 passenger trains per day and launching overnight high-speed services on major routes for the first time on a large scale.