China domestic tourism market sees growth in trips and spending

China's domestic tourism market experienced solid growth in both travel volume and expenditure during the first nine months of 2026, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT).

Total domestic trips exceeded 5.3 billion, representing a 6.2% year-on-year increase. Urban residents accounted for over 4 billion trips, up 6.6%, while rural residents made 1.27 billion trips, a 5.1% increase. Total domestic tourism spending rose by 2.2% to reach 4,950 billion yuan (approximately 737 billion USD).

Of this total, urban residents spent 4,140 billion yuan, and rural residents spent 810 billion yuan. These figures align with China's long-term objectives outlined in a five-year tourism development plan, which aims to reach 8.3 billion annual domestic trips and 7,700 billion yuan in annual spending by 2030.