The travel and tourism industry has become a key driver of China’s domestic economy since the 1980s, after the government embarked on its era of reform and opening up.

Both the nation’s growing domestic middle class and accommodating government policies have helped it grow exponentially over the past four decades.

Tourism has transformed the country into one of the most vibrant travel markets in the world. However, the industry has been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic due to lockdowns, travel restrictions, and fears among would-be travellers about catching Covid-19 .

In 2019, the nation’s tourism industry generated 6.63 trillion yuan (US$1 trillion) in total revenue, with more than 6 billion tourists travelling domestically, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The industry contributed 10.94 trillion yuan to China’s total gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 – around 11%.

The total number of domestic tourists in 2020 was 2.879 billion, a decrease of 52.1% over the same period in 2019, ministry data showed. Domestic tourism revenue was 2.23 trillion yuan, a year-on-year fall of 61.1%.