Summary of Key Points
Recently, governments across the country have introduced policies to reward travel agencies for welcoming inbound tourists with financial incentives. The inbound tourism market has seen rapid growth, but it has also exposed issues such as low-price tours and inadequate services. Local authorities are addressing these shortcomings by improving services and strengthening regulation, with the goal of making inbound tourism a new driver of growth for the tourism industry.
I. Various Incentive Measures to Attract Foreigners
To attract more foreign tourists, local governments are providing financial rewards to travel agencies:
- Chongqing: Agencies that receive 1,000 or more inbound tourists and have them stay for 3 nights receive a reward of 30 yuan per person; an additional 10 yuan is given for each extra night (up to a maximum of 50 yuan). If the tourists come from countries with fewer than 50,000 visitors to Chongqing last year, the reward doubles, with each agency able to receive up to 150,000 yuan.
- Guizhou: Rewards are provided based on the number of tourists received, with a maximum of 70 yuan per person. Additional rewards are available for charter flights, visa-free visitors, or large groups, with no upper limit on the number of tourists.
- Shandong: The validity period of the incentive policy has been extended from one year to three years. Visitors staying for more than 2 nights receive 12 yuan per person per day for non-remote countries (such as neighboring ones) and 20 yuan per person per day for remote countries (such as Europe and America).
Other provinces, including Hunan, Yunnan, and Hainan, also have similar incentive programs, with some offering additional rewards for charter flights and overseas promotions.
II. Why Has Inbound Tourism Suddenly Become So Popular?
1. Domestic tourism has reached a bottleneck: Domestic tourism is already mature and growing slowly, so local areas need new sources of growth. For example, the president of the Sichuan Tour Guide Association believes that inbound tourism represents a “new gold mine” that can help the industry break through its limitations.
2. National goals: The “15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Strong Tourism Country” aims to increase the number of inbound tourists to 190 million by 2030, with spending exceeding 150 billion US dollars. Local areas have their own targets; for example, Zhejiang aims for 5 million inbound tourists, while Guizhou aims to double that figure to 2.5 million.
3. Data shows significant potential: In 2025, the number of inbound tourists reached 150 million, with a 17.1% increase and spending of 131.1 billion US dollars (a 39.2% increase). In the first half of 2026, the number of foreign tourists increased by 20.4%, with visa-free visitors accounting for 77.7%, indicating rapid growth.
III. New Trends in Inbound Tourism
1. More personalized travel preferences: Travel agency representatives note that foreigners now prefer smaller groups and customized tours, and they are also younger. For example, Southeast Asian tourists not only visit major attractions but also trendy locations.
2. Diversified sources of visitors: While Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia were the main markets in the past, Russia, Central Asia, and Africa have become increasingly important sources of tourists. In the first half of 2026, Russia ranked second and Mongolia ninth among the top ten source countries, indicating the emergence of new markets.
3. The role of visa-free policies: Visa-free visitors account for 77.7% of inbound tourists, a 30.6% increase from the previous year, making it easier for foreigners to travel to China.
IV. Issues and Areas for Improvement
1. Problems Existing: Some travel agencies use subsidies as a pretext to offer low-price tours, misleading foreign tourists by claiming government support, which affects their experience.
2. Inadequate services: Issues such as inconvenient payment methods, limited product variety, and quality problems need to be addressed.
3. How local areas are making improvements:
- Chongqing: Has launched a three-year plan to improve foreign-related services, including streamlining procedures and innovating products, with the goal of creating a world-class service environment.
- Yunnan: Is conducting a “1+6+X” convenience initiative to solve payment and communication issues, providing 1 million yuan in subsidies for each pilot project.
- Travel agencies suggest developing more distinctive itineraries (not just low-price tours) and adapting promotions to foreign readership habits, while also strengthening quality supervision to ensure that foreigners can get help when needed.
In summary, inbound tourism represents a significant opportunity, but to succeed, more than just financial incentives are required. Improving services and products is essential to attract and retain foreign tourists, encouraging them to return in the future.