A Peek into China’s Inbound Tourism Market

Tourism has become a "necessity" for people in modern life to some extent. Their contribution to "tourism" has created tremendous travel-related business opportunities in the market and also contributed to the overall global economic development.

According to the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) data, it shows that the international tourism made up 3% of global total GDP in 2015, which was about $2,230 billion. This number is forecasted to rise by 4.2% in the next decade to be around $3,500 billion in 2026. In 2015, the total tourism receipts accounted for about 10% of global GDP, equivalent to US$ 7,200 billion.

In a regional level, Asia and the Pacific were the most popular regions for travelers, receiving 9% more international arrivals, more than double of the 4% global average growth in the first half of 2016. It is expected that by 2030, the Asia-Pacific region will host one-third of the world's inbound tourists.

Across the Asia-Pacific region, China attracted the largest number of international tourists, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan. The tourists visiting these five places accounted for 57% of international tourists in the Asia-Pacific region. China inbound tourism market grew steadily in 2015. Over 60% of China inbound tourists were from Asian countries, with over 20% from European countries and over 10% from American countries. Korean, Japanese and American tourists instituted the most of inbound tourists.

The majority of inbound tourists in China are sightseers, reaching 31.2% with 21.18 million people. Business travel came second with about 13.71 million. For those who had vacation in China, they wanted to experience special Chinese culture and enjoy beautiful scenic spots. Recommendation from relatives/friends, OOH ads, TV ads and info from websites were main resource channels.

China is getting good responses from foreign tourists and has been improving its travel related products or services to fulfill the requirements of foreign tourists. To make their stay enjoyable, inbound tourists may need a peaceful environment, affordable travel items, the best in food and refreshment, compelling travel arrangements, cooperative staff, internet access, free Wi-Fi facility, an atmosphere of good manner, comfortable rooms, conference halls and other types of arrangements. All those facilities will finally help to improve the standards of local accommodation places.