With the successful conclusion of the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, China's inbound tourism market has shown a strong recovery momentum, and the new year is expected to reverse the setbacks during the epidemic. According to Ctrip data, the number of inbound air ticket bookings for the Spring Festival in 2024 will increase by about 819%, and within 8 days of the Spring Festival holiday, inbound travel orders will increase by 48% compared with 2019, and the ticket sales of inbound tourist attractions will increase by more than 10 times compared with 2019, with about 3.23 million inbound tourists, of which the main source countries include Japan, the United States, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, etc. Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Harbin, Xi'an and other cities are the main destinations for inbound tourism.
According to data from the Macao Government Tourism Office, the number of visitor arrivals in 2023 has recovered to 70% of the level of 2019, with an average of about 80,000 visitors per day in January 2024 and more than 100,000 on weekends, with a target of 33 million for the whole year, up 17 percent year-on-year9%。According to the latest data released by the Macao SAR**, 135 visitors arrived in Macao during the Mainland's Spring Festival holiday (10-17 February) in 202480,000 person-times; The average daily number of inbound tourists was about 170,000, an increase of more than 16 times, close to the level of the same period in 2019.
A number of foreign media have paid attention to the popularity of China's inbound tourism, and the United States "Travel and Travel the World"** reported that the Spring Festival holiday is one of the busiest travel seasons in China, with China's inbound travel orders increasing by about 10 times, and more and more international tourists choosing to participate in holiday celebrations across China. The Hindustan Times** reported that Chinese New Year-related celebrations have boosted tourism growth in many Asian countries, with China seeing the largest increase in tourism figures.
International tourism has recovered to 88% of pre-pandemic levels, with a steady recovery in global tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization's first World Tourism Barometer for 2024, international tourism has recovered to 88% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023, with an estimated 1.3 billion international tourists. Pent-up demand for several years, improved air connectivity, and a strong recovery in Asian markets and tourist attractions may set the stage for a full recovery in inbound travel by the end of 2024.
The "circle of friends" of visa-free countries continues to expand, and the "effect" of visa-free countries has emerged. Recently, China, Singapore and Thailand have signed mutual visa exemption agreements, further expanding the scope of visa-exempt countries. China's unilateral visa-free policy has shown an effect, with a significant increase in the number of new visa-free tourists from countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia and Singapore, with the total number of inbound travel orders from these countries doubling during the Spring Festival in 2024 compared to the same period in 2019. At present, China has signed visa exemption agreements with 157 countries covering different passports, and has reached agreements or arrangements with 44 countries to simplify visa procedures. These measures have made it easier for foreign tourists to enter the country, and have also demonstrated China's image of openness and enthusiasm.
The supply of international flights has increased, and the recovery of international flights has accelerated. Recently, a number of Chinese and foreign airlines have announced the resumption and increase of the supply of international flights to provide a guarantee for the demand for inbound travel. According to the latest operating data released by six listed airlines, including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines, the passenger traffic of the six major airlines on international routes in January 2024 totaled 41060,000 people, the overall recovery to 73% of the same period in 2019. Among them, Juneyao Airlines' recovery rate exceeded the pre-epidemic level at the highest, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines recovered to 7 percent, Spring Airlines recovered more than 6 percent, and Hainan Airlines recovered 3 percent. For example, Air China has resumed flights from Shanghai Pudong to Munich on January 17. In January, China Eastern Airlines launched new routes from Sanya to Pudong to London Heathrow, Beijing Daxing to Kuala Lumpur and Lanzhou to Phuket, and resumed flights from Wuhan to Bangkok.
Two-way travel" and "come when you want", and the facilitation measures for foreigners to come to China are increasing. Driven by favorable policies such as mutual visa exemption, customs clearance facilitation and the resumption of air routes, the recovery of inbound and outbound tourism has accelerated. Chinese and foreign tourists have achieved "two-way travel" and foreign tourists "come when they want" have become hot topics in the tourism industry in 2024. At the same time, China** has continuously increased the facilitation measures for foreign nationals to come to China, attracting more international tourists to visit China during the Spring Festival.
Inbound tourism products continue to innovate, and the attractiveness of inbound tourism in domestic cities has increased. As an important participant in serving inbound tourism, tourism enterprises and cultural tourism institutions in many places in China are focusing more on the upgrading and innovation of inbound tourism products. The vibrant "ice and snow thermal kinetic energy" has attracted the attention of overseas ** and tourists, and the Internet celebrity "Erbin" and many domestic tourist destinations have "heated up" on overseas social ** and local**. For example, on the overseas ** platform YouTube, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and other places have become the must-choose places for foreigners to travel to China, and "niche" cities such as Zibo and Changsha have seen a significant increase in overseas volume.
Continue to optimize the inbound tourism policy. We will continue to expand the scope of visa-free countries, simplify visa procedures, improve visa efficiency, and provide a more convenient and friendly entry environment for foreign tourists. At the same time, we will strengthen tourism cooperation with other countries and jointly promote the prosperity and development of the inbound tourism market.
Strengthen the innovation and promotion of cultural tourism products. Dig deeper into China's cultural and tourism resources, and launch more inbound tourism products with local characteristics and cultural connotations. Make full use of new overseas ** and social platforms to strengthen publicity and promotion, and improve the visibility and attractiveness of Chinese tourist destinations in the international market.
Improve service quality and visitor experience. Strengthen the training and management of tourism practitioners, improve the quality of services, and ensure that tourists have a pleasant and memorable travel experience in China. At the same time, improve the tourism infrastructure and public service system to provide tourists with a more convenient and comfortable tourism environment.
Strengthen tourism safety and supervision. Strengthen the supervision of the tourism market to ensure the quality and safety of tourism products. Establish and improve the early warning and emergency response mechanism for tourism safety, deal with tourism disputes and emergencies in a timely manner, and protect the legitimate rights and interests and personal safety of tourists.
The authors of this article are Wu Chengzhong, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Opening up at the University of International Business and Economics, and Chen Ping, a doctoral student at the School of Management, University of International Business and Economics
Gou Xiaoqing.