On April 29, Trip.com Group appointed Jackie Chan as its “Inbound Tourism Ambassador” and unveiled a five-year goal to help China welcome a cumulative total of 200 million inbound tourists by 2030, leveraging the company’s global influence to showcase Chinese tourism to the world.
Charlie Li, CEO of TravelDaily, held a dialogue with James Liang, Chairman of Trip.com Group, focusing on Trip.com’s B2B industry enablement strategies and the clear roadmap for China to become Asia’s top destination and reach a globally leading level.
Charlie Li: After multiple visa-free policies were implemented in 2023, how significant has the policy impact been according to Trip.com’s data and the broader market?
James Liang: Global tourism is affected by geopolitical factors, but China’s inbound tourism has rebounded very rapidly after the pandemic. By 2025, it had reached a historic high, and 2026 is even more promising, with the overall market expected to grow 20%-30% above the previous peak.
Trip.com’s inbound tourism business has outpaced the overall market, doubling growth from 2024 to 2025, with 2026 expected to increase 70%-80%, far exceeding the industry average.
In the past, most foreign travelers to China booked via Booking.com, but now Trip.com is their preferred choice. Leveraging overseas networks and social promotion, we amplify China’s tourism advantages, bringing in a substantial influx of new visitors.
Charlie Li: You once mentioned that mature tourism destinations’ travel revenue accounts for 1%-2% of GDP. China’s inbound tourism could generate incremental growth worth trillions. How long will it take to achieve this?
James Liang: China’s natural resources, culture, infrastructure, and cost-effectiveness are world-class, giving it full capability to become a top global tourism destination.
Short term (3 years): China’s inbound tourism will surpass Japan to become Asia’s No. 1, with a market size exceeding RMB 1 trillion (USD 147 billion).
Medium to long term: Expanding into U.S. and European markets, particularly granting visa-free access for U.S. travelers, could triple market size to RMB 3 trillion, accounting for roughly 2% of China’s GDP.
Inbound tourism is crucial for China’s service sector to become world-leading and a key support for China’s GDP to potentially approach or even surpass that of the U.S.
