China is poised to overtake the U.S. as the largest tourism economy as a share of global GDP in the next few years, with its growing inbound numbers helped by increasingly flexible visa policies.
China’s tourism sector expanded by 9.9% in terms of GDP contribution last year, more than double the global average and exponentially higher than the U.S.’s 0.9%, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.
Spending by visitors to China increased by more than 10% last year, while it fell by 5% in the U.S.
A foreign tourist poses next to a Chinese couple dressed in imperial costumes near the Forbidden City, in Beijing, China, on April 12, 2026. Photo by AP |
But the U.S. still leads in overall scale.
WTTC data shows that the U.S.’s travel and tourism sector contributed US$2.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025 compared with $1.8 trillion for China.
WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara said China could surpass the U.S. by the end of the decade if current trends persist, Bloomberg reported.
“While the U.S. is shrinking, China is rising at a fast rate.”
Some 68 million foreign visitors traveled to the U.S. last year, a 5.5% decrease from 2024, amid stricter immigration policies, according to the International Trade Administration.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China received 154.5 million visitors last year, up 17.1%.
The number of countries enjoying unilateral visa-free access to China increased to 48 in 2025.
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