China Tourism Statistics in 2011
China witnessed a boom in tourism during 2011. With an immense increase in domestic demand as well as an active potential in developing inbound and outbound tourism, China has become a popular tourist destination worldwide. In 2011, the country has already formed the largest domestic tourist market, and ranks the third in the world for the inbound and outbound tourism.

 Inbound Tourism:
The inbound tourism of China underwent a rapid growth in 2011. Culture is the soul of travel. China, an ancient oriental giant with a history of over 5000 years bears a special cultural magnetism for worldwide tourists. The Beijing Olympics in 2008, the Expo Shanghai 2010 and other international events further promoted the popularity of China. To the end of September 2011, the country saw a 1% growth in the number of foreign tourist arrivals, which is lower than that of 2010 but totals an amazing 100 million including 42 million that stayed overnight. The foreign exchange revenue of tourism reaches 35 billion dollars, up 2% over the same period of the last year. Here TravelChinaGuide provides some firsthand data on China inbound tourism in 2011 for your reference:

 Top 20 China Destinations for Overseas Tourists:

The tourism infrastructure had a makeover in 2011. The convenient flights network and the operation of many high speed trains in recent years (Beijing-Shanghai, Shanghai-Hangzhou, Wuhan-Guangzhou, and Guangzhou-Shenzhen) make traveling in China faster and smoother. The service quality has also risen together with the growth of tourist volume. In 2011, China has made many efforts to enhance service standards and tourist safety. Many English tourist information services and tourist distributing centers are established in some hot destinations, facilitating overseas travelers to a great extent.
 See detailed information on Inbound Tourism.

 Outbound Tourism:
With the rise of personal incomes and living standards, the outbound tourism of China grows by leaps and bounds. Chinese people are eager to go sightseeing overseas which creates an immense market for some nearby countries. The popular outbound destinations include USA, Russia, France, Australia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Maldives, etc. In 2011, the number of outbound tourists totals 51 million, up over 20% comparing with 2010. At present, China has increased the number of permitted overseas destinations for her citizens to 140 countries and regions. A further and sustained growth of outbound tourism is expected.
 See detailed information on Outbound Tourism.

 Domestic Tourism:
China, a county with an amazing population of over 1.3 billion, has an incomparably large domestic tourism market. In the recent decade, domestic tourism had a continuous increase of around 10% each year, which now contributes over 4% to the growth of the country’s GDP and greatly enhances the employment, consumption and the economic development of China. The most popular destinations for Chinese tourists include Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin, Hangzhou, Sanya, Lhasa, Chengdu, Lijiang, Hong Kong, Macau etc. The tourist volume rockets to an amazing number during the peak seasons especially the two golden weeks (the National Day Holiday from Oct. 1 to 7 and the Spring Festival), which can be the cause of problems with traffic and tourist service quality. When you plan a visit to China you should avoid these rush periods.

According to the latest prediction from the World Tourism Organization, there will be an annual increase of 43 million of international tourists over the next 20 years, and the number will soar to 1.8 billion by 2030. The Asia-Pacific area is becoming the hot destination of choice with the largest increase in visitor numbers. We wish you all a wonderful tour to China!

 More Data: Other Facts & Figures

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