China’s 2025–2026 inbound‑tourism drive: targeted marketing, inclusive policies and digital campaigns

• China is intensifying global tourism marketing with region-specific campaigns, cultural diplomacy, and expanded visa-free access.
• Initiatives like Nihao China and partnerships through CNTO offices abroad are central to attracting visitors from North America and Europe.
• Digital storytelling, influencer collaborations, and cultural events such as the Arcadia Moon Festival strengthen China’s brand appeal.
• Policy reforms, easier payment systems, and improved visitor infrastructure support the broader goal of boosting inbound tourism.
• China’s tourism revival strategy combines government-led promotion and private-sector innovation to sustain long-term global growth.

(NEWS) SHANGHAI, 2025-Oct-7 — /Travel PR News/ — After three years of COVID‑19 restrictions, China fully reopened its borders in 2023 and has since executed an aggressive marketing strategy to rebuild its inbound‑tourism industry. According to the China Tourism Academy’s 2024 inbound report, the nation welcomed 131.9 million visitors in 2024, a 60.8 % year‑on‑year increase with spending up 77.8 % to US$94.2 billion. The report credits the recovery to visa‑free policies—China now offers unilateral visa‑free entry to 38 countries and mutual visa‑free entry with 26 countries—and 240‑hour transit visas, making “spur‑of‑the‑moment travel” possible. Visa‑free entries reached 20.12 million in 2024, up 112.3 % year‑on‑year.

Launching campaigns to attract foreigners

Tourism‑consumption promotion campaigns

China’s Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Culture & Tourism have combined tourism with consumption‑promotion schemes. During China Tourism Day 2025, authorities launched a nationwide tourism‑promotion campaign (Apr 15 – May 31) offering over 6,000 discounts with more than 1 billion yuan in subsidies. The campaign explicitly emphasised inbound tourism, inviting overseas travel agencies for familiarisation trips and promoting Chinese attractions abroad. People’s Daily reports that the Ministry of Commerce’s consumption‑promotion plan, launched alongside the 2025 China International Consumer Products Expo, linked tourism with shopping, food and cultural experiences. It planned “city walk,” cruise and train routes and promised improved tax‑refund services, visa‑free transit up to 240 hours and payment facilities to encourage foreign spending. Major gateway cities—Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou—were tasked with enhancing their duty‑free zones and international flights.

Digital marketing and social‑media campaigns

China’s inbound marketing leans heavily on social‑media trends. In late 2024 the hashtag #ChinaTravel went viral on international platforms, generating millions of views. A study notes that over 20 million visa‑free entries in 2024 were facilitated by such social‑media exposure. Influencer campaigns promote lesser‑known regions; a November 2024 Xinhua feature explains that rural towns like Furong Town in Hunan saw inbound tourist visits quadruple after the “China Travel” social‑media boomenglish.news.cn. Over 100 overseas influencers were invited to the area, and local authorities cooperated with Trip.com to promote accommodation and ticket booking.

Beijing’s “Great Wall Heroes” and “Hello, Beijing” campaigns

Beijing’s municipal tourism bureau runs high‑profile marketing projects. The “Great Wall Heroes” global marketing campaign, launched in 2016, annually selects a theme and invites overseas travel influencers. The 2024 edition, themed “Ensemble of the Great Wall and the Central Axis,” brought four influencers from the UK, Australia, Canada and Thailand to explore landmark sites such as the Forbidden City and Badaling Great Wall. The event was livestreamed on the “Visit Beijing” social‑media channels and reached over 100,000 online viewers. The influencers shared stories about cycling along Beijing’s central axis, night tours, and dining on Beijing Duck; they emphasised convenient visa‑free entry and seamless payment options. Beijing’s tourism bureau said the campaign has become a core channel for telling Beijing’s story and attracting foreign visitors, capitalising on a surge of foreign content creators posting about China.

Beijing’s broader inbound‑tourism strategy for 2025 includes creating airport payment centres, opening an “inbound consumer‑friendly” business district, rolling out tap‑to‑go metro access for foreign bank cards and launching themed experiences such as night tours of Liangma River and “city‑walk” routes. The city’s “Hello, Beijing” roadshow at the Osaka Expo in May 2025 introduced the capital’s heritage through photography exhibitions and intangible‑heritage showcases (sources from Beijing’s official statements and social‑media posts). Future plans call for more global campaigns in Europe and North America, further increasing flight connectivity and adding multilingual services.

Trip.com and private‑sector initiatives

Online travel agencies are critical to China’s inbound marketing. At the 2025 TravelDaily Conference, Trip.com’s vice‑president Monica Xiao identified three priorities: (1) rebuilding trust in hotel reviews, (2) using AI for accurate translations and customer messaging, and (3) global roadshows. Trip.com hosted “Hello China” roadshows in Singapore and Malaysia and launched half‑day tours in major Chinese cities as well as an “OTA restaurant” to showcase Chinese cuisine. These initiatives drove triple‑digit growth in inbound bookings and capitalised on new visa‑free policies; after the China–Russia visa‑free agreement, inbound growth surged from 90 % to 400 %. Trip.com also developed an inbound services platform offering hotel and attraction bookings, mobile payments and communication support, while rivals like Fliggy launched the “China Travel Flight Plan” with Alipay to provide discounts and travel tips.

Rural tourism and poverty‑alleviation marketing

The “China Travel” campaign has intentionally directed tourists beyond major cities. Xinhua reports that once‑poor mountainous areas like the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture saw inbound tourist visits soar to 254,000 in the first three quarters of 2024—nearly four times the previous year. Local governments cooperated with travel platforms, improved multilingual signage and payment services, and invited international influencers to market local homestaysenglish.news.cn. This strategy supports rural revitalisation; tourism now contributes over 70 % of Xiangxi’s GDP growth.

Visa‑free policies and payment convenience: enabling marketing efforts

Policy reforms are the backbone of China’s inbound push. By June 2025 China extended unilateral visa exemptions to 47 countries, covering Europe, Asia, the Middle East and parts of Latin America. The 240‑hour transit visa has been expanded to 54 nations, and mutual visa‑free arrangements have been signed with additional countries. These changes not only fuelled inbound arrivals—foreign visits via visa‑free policies reached 20.115 million in 2024, up 112.3 %—but also served as marketing talking points in campaigns like “Great Wall Heroes” and Trip.com roadshows.

Payment barriers, once a major hurdle, are being dismantled. Beijing set up international traveler service centres at its airports, guiding visitors on using foreign cards, mobile payments and cash; influencers in the “Great Wall Heroes” campaign praised the convenience. Nationally, regulators promoted a three‑tier payment system—big purchases via bank cards, small transactions via QR codes and cash as backup. Foreign visitors can now bind overseas bank cards to Alipay or WeChat Pay, and inbound spending through Alipay surged eight‑fold in the first half of 2024.

Regions targeted by China’s marketing

China’s inbound marketing focuses on both traditional gateways and new frontiers:

1. Major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) – These cities host iconic attractions and international airports. Shanghai’s WorldSkills 2026 preparations illustrate how mega‑events serve as marketing tools. A press release published on EuropaWire for the WorldSkills one‑year‑countdown (in French) reveals that the city enlisted actor Xiao Zhan as promotional ambassador and released a “Skills Venture” video; volunteers will handle hospitality and security; sponsors include ICBC, Bank of Communications and SAIC Motor; and the event is promoted internationally. Such efforts not only prepare for the competition but also market Shanghai as an inclusive, skilled and modern city.
2. United States and Western hemisphere – The China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in Los Angeles attends community events to court North American tourists. At an October 2025 Mid‑Autumn Festival in Arcadia, CNTO staffed a booth offering brochures, travel itineraries and giveaways and collaborated with tours provider Tours4Fun to highlight curated trips. CNTO described the event as part of its mission to promote China across the Western U.S., emphasising cultural exchange and encouraging attendees to convert curiosity into bookings. Similar outreach occurs at festivals in Vancouver, New York and Chicago.
3. Europe and the Middle East – Visa‑free agreements with France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands have spurred targeted marketing campaigns. The 2024 “Great Wall Heroes” ambassadors included influencers from the UK, Canada and Australia. Media reports (APCO Worldwide) note that partnerships with Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE involve promoting duty‑free retail, payment integration and joint marketing in the Gulf region (citations from previous context). Hong Kong’s Tourism Blueprint 2.0 also targets Middle Eastern visitors, offering 30‑day visa‑free stays and co‑marketing with Dubai and Riyadh.
4. Southeast Asia – Visa‑free policies for Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have revived these markets; they recovered faster than Japan and South Korea. Trip.com roadshows in Singapore and Malaysia introduced half‑day tours and localised packages.
5. Rural and lesser‑known regions – Campaigns like “China Travel” direct tourists to hinterland destinations such as Hunan’s Furong Town and Hunan’s Zhangjiajie. Local marketing emphasises authentic experiences, intangible heritage and homestays; influencers and bilingual guides help international visitors navigate these areas.

Challenges and expectations

China’s inbound‑tourism drive faces obstacles. While visa‑free policies have boosted numbers, the supply of foreign‑language tour guides is limited—only 8.4 % of China’s 660,000 licensed guides are fluent in a foreign language. Customized, small‑group tours preferred by foreigners require labour‑intensive service and raise costs. Moreover, the shift toward independent travel, facilitated by translation apps, challenges traditional tour operators.

The inbound surge has sparked entrepreneurship: there are around 78,700 inbound‑tourism enterprises in China, concentrated in Beijing, Guangdong and Hebei. Many start‑ups leverage Douyin/TikTok to showcase destinations; a viral video of Zhangjiajie posted by a local guide on TikTok generated over one million views and hundreds of inquiries.

Marketing meets policy

China’s inbound‑tourism revival is driven by both top‑down and grassroots marketing. Government campaigns offer subsidies, visa‑free access, tax refunds and improved payment systems; municipal authorities roll out themed tours and targeted roadshows; online travel agencies and local entrepreneurs amplify this through social‑media campaigns, influencer collaborations and AI‑enabled services. The combined effect has positioned China to reclaim its place as a major destination in 2025–2026, with ambitious revenue projections of US$1.7 – 4.5 trillion in the next decade. To sustain growth, China must continue expanding visa‑free arrangements, improve language services, and cultivate diverse experiences that appeal to travellers from different regions.