China targets 190 million inbound tourist visits by 2030 in new five-year tourism plan

BEIJING -- China aims to attract 190 million inbound tourist visits a year by 2030, according to a new five-year tourism development plan, signaling the country's expanding efforts to draw overseas visitors as it seeks to boost consumption and deepen international exchanges.

The plan, approved by the State Council, targets inbound tourism spending of more than $150 billion annually by 2030, while calling for higher-quality tourism services and a stronger global presence for China's tourism industry.

To help meet these goals, China will further streamline services for inbound visitors throughout their journeys in the country.

The plan calls for expanding the visa-free entry program and increasing international air and rail connections, while enhancing convenience in payment, transportation, communications and accommodation as well as optimizing tax refund procedures. Multilingual visitor services are also expected to improve via better training for foreign-language tour guides and wider use of AI-powered translation devices.

It also envisions a nationwide inbound tourism network centered on international consumption hubs and major gateway cities, and aims to develop more shopping clusters suited to visitors from overseas.