〈Inside China〉Foreigners flock to multiple small cities as more and more come to China to shop
China has fueled a boom in inbound tourism through measures such as visa-free transit, with arrivals rising 15.6% in the third quarter. Destinations are shifting from first-tier cities to smaller cities, including western Hunan and Zhangjiajie, which have seen a sharp increase in foreign visitors. Meanwhile, foreign visitor numbers in key shopping districts rose 38%; shopping has become an important part of the travel experience, with improved tax-refund policies and new technology helping drive consumption.
Facts
- China received 11.601 million foreign arrivals in the third quarter, up 15.6% from the same period last year.
- Visa-free foreign arrivals in the third quarter reached 8.992 million, accounting for 77.5% of all arrivals, and this category grew 24.1%.
- In 2025, Xiangxi Prefecture in Hunan received 335,700 inbound tourist visits, with total spending reaching $130 million.
- In 2025, European and American visitors to Zhangjiajie rose 260% year over year, including a surge of 915% in Italian visitors.
- From January to August this year, the number of foreign visitors to key shopping districts across China rose 38% from a year earlier.
- Foreign tourist visits to Guilin and Chongzuo in Guangxi, Zhangjiajie and Xiangtan in Hunan, and Urumqi and Ili in Xinjiang all increased by more than 50% year over year.