BEIJING; China's domestic tourism market recorded solid growth in both trips and travel spending from January to September this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) said on Monday.
More than 5.3 billion domestic trips were made during the first nine months of 2026, up 6.2 per cent year on year, according to data from a survey of domestic travellers conducted by the ministry.
Urban residents accounted for more than 4 billion trips, an increase of 6.6 per cent from a year earlier, while rural residents made 1.27 billion trips, marking a 5.1 per cent rise.
Domestic tourism spending increased 2.2 per cent year on year to 4.95 trillion yuan (about US$737 billion) during the nine months. Of the total, urban residents spent 4.14 trillion yuan, up 2.2 per cent, while rural residents spent 810 billion yuan, rising 2.1 per cent.
China aims to record 8.3 billion domestic trips annually and 7.7 trillion yuan in domestic travel spending annually by 2030, according to a five-year tourism development plan for 2026-2030 released by the MCT in July.
In 2025, the country recorded more than 6.5 billion domestic trips, with tourism expenditure reaching 6.3 trillion yuan, both setting new records. - Xinhua
