Chinese holidaymakers will spend 1.8 trillion yuan ($250 billion) this year on trips internationally — about 10% more than they did in 2019, according to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Even as global travel has recovered fully, a backlog in processing visas in countries such as the US, and more expensive international flights, have kept Chinese holidaymakers closer to home, where they’re flocking to mainland cities for popular local delicacies such as spicy street foods and smaller towns in a “reverse travel” trend shunning crowds.
Meanwhile, international visitors to China still haven’t rebounded. Spending by foreign tourists on the mainland this year is expected to hit 715 billion yuan, about a quarter less than 2019 levels. China was one of the last big economies to re-open its borders, and inbound flights to the country haven’t fully returned.
