Outbound tourism growth, inbound recovery projected

A police officer at an immigration inspection station greets inbound tourists at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Sanya, Hainan province, on Wednesday. [ZHAO YINGQUAN/XINHUA]

Experts and industry insiders are confident of the steady development of the Chinese mainland's outbound and inbound tourism, and are calling for more measures to improve international travelers' experiences to revitalize the stillweak inbound tourism market.

The China Tourism Academy estimates that the number of outbound visits exceeded 87 million in 2023, a twofold increase compared with the previous year. The figure is more than half of that in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.

The number of outbound visits is projected to jump to 130 million by the end of this year, allowing the Chinese economy to recover further and paving the way for more international flights and continuous optimization of visa policies, according to the academy.

"The recovery of and boom in outbound tourism were expected after China optimized its COVID-19 control measures starting early last year," said Yang Jinsong, director of the academy's international institute, at a news conference on Thursday.

The Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions remained the top choices for outbound tourists in the first half of 2023, while the traditionally popular overseas destinations among Chinese travelers, such as Japan and South Korea, saw some European and African rivals, including France, Italy and Egypt, according to the academy.

"We are optimistic about China's outbound tourism development, because we see an improving macroeconomy, and people's disposable incomes have also increased," said Yang. "More international flights, further optimized visa policies and the recovery of outbound tourism service chains will contribute to the sector's development."

Beijing Capital International Airport handled 1.05 million international passenger trips last month, recording an eightfold increase compared with last year, according to data released by the airport authorities on Thursday.

The peak was hit on Jan 28, when more than 40,000 international trips were made, reaching a nearly four-year high, data showed.

With the Spring Festival holiday approaching, the number of outbound visits is expected to rise. Data showed that the number of searches for outbound international flights from Beijing Capital airport for the eight-day holiday period this year surged more than 2.5 times compared with the same period last year.

The inbound tourism market has not performed very well so far, but industry insiders expect a good recovery and have called for more effective measures to attract international travelers.

The tourism academy estimates that the number of inbound visits for 2023 reached 60 to 70 percent of the figure in 2019.

Inbound visits by residents of Hong Kong and Macao witnessed a faster recovery last year compared with those by foreign travelers. The number of inbound visits from Hong Kong and Macao was 81 percent of the level in 2019, while that from foreign countries was 36 percent, according to the National Immigration Administration.

The inbound tourism market showed some structural imbalance in 2023, as most visits were for business purposes rather than tourism.

The academy estimates that inbound visits by residents of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and the Taiwan region will see a full recovery this year, while visits by foreign travelers will recover to 50 percent of the level in 2019.

Dai Bin, president of the academy, said that increased flights and optimized visa policies are key to attracting more international travelers. The authorities should announce effective measures, including steps to improve communication, transportation, accommodations and payment services, in order to improve travelers' experiences.

Luo Wangshu contributed to this story.