With a sharp decrease in foreign tourists visiting the US, China is poised to become the world's largest tourism economy within a few years.
According to Bloomberg, the latest data released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its key research partner Chase Travel shows that China's tourism industry grew by 9.9% last year, more than twice the global average growth rate and far surpassing the US's rate of 0.9%.
This performance is largely due to an increase of over 10% in spending by foreign visitors to China in 2025. In stark contrast, spending by visitors to the US declined by nearly 5%.
WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara stated that if both countries maintain similar growth rates, by the end of this decade, China could become the world's largest tourism economy.
In an interview, she said: "While the US is shrinking, China is rapidly rising. If this trend continues, within 3 to 4 years China will approach the US."
The US has long been the world's top travel destination, with attractions like Disney and Times Square drawing large numbers of tourists. However, against the backdrop of tighter immigration restrictions and intensified geopolitical tensions, the number of foreign visitors to the US has dropped sharply.
According to data from the US International Trade Administration, about 68 million foreign tourists visited the US last year, a 5.5% decrease from 2024. Although events such as the World Cup are expected to boost US travel this year, the impact of the Iran war on global travel could limit the level of growth.