PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid said: “The Sanya Tourism Board has been an active and valued PATA member, and we have had the privilege of working closely together to deliver several regional initiatives successfully.

“Building on this strong track record, combined with world-class facilities and a diverse destination offering spanning culture, wellness, community-based tourism, and year-round sunshine, Sanya is exceptionally well-positioned to host the PATA Annual Summit. We look forward to collaborating closely with Sanya to bring the 2027 Summit to life.”

“Hosting the PATA Annual Summit 2027 in Sanya is a great honour and a significant opportunity to showcase our city’s unique tropical coastal charm to the global travel community,” said a spokesperson from the Sanya Tourism Board. “As a premier destination offering pristine beaches, rich cultural heritage, and world-class facilities, we are committed to promoting sustainable tourism development. We look forward to welcoming delegates from around the world to experience Sanya’s warm hospitality and to fostering meaningful collaborations that will drive the future of travel in the Asia Pacific region.”

Located in the southern part of China’s Hainan Province, Sanya is a tropical coastal destination covering approximately 1,921 square kilometres and offering a diverse range of attractions. The city is recognised as a major modern tourism destination, known for its tropical climate and luxury resorts with world-class amenities. Sanya’s natural landscapes range from the white-sand beaches of Haitang and Yalong bays to the Yalong Bay Tropical Paradise Forest Park and Wuzhizhou Island. 

Moreover, Sanya boasts a culturally rich and charming urban scene, where visitors can experience its delightful gastronomy and rich cultural heritage.

In recent years, STB has observed growing travel demand from visitors from Central Asia, alongside continued efforts to expand air connectivity and strengthen partnerships. In November 2025 alone, Sanya recorded over 2.24 million overnight domestic and international visitors, underscoring its strong potential to contribute to the sustained growth of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry.

Learn more about Sanya at www.pata.org/welcome-to-sanya.

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China is the world’s largest tourism market. Not marginally bigger. Not competitively ahead. Overwhelmingly dominant.

Every year, it generates around 6 billion domestic trips, a level of movement no other country has ever come close to achieving.

To put that into perspective:

• Around three times the size of the United States (2.4 billion)

• Roughly 15 times larger than France

• Close to 20 times larger than Spain

This is not growth. This is on a completely different scale.

What China has built is not simply a tourism sector. It is a vast, continuous system of movement, driven internally and operating at a magnitude that redefines global benchmarks.

Global tourism snapshot

China leads overwhelmingly in total movement. The US leads in revenue. Europe leads on inbound tourism density.

But no country combines population, frequency and scale the way China does.

A market powered from within

Unlike most major destinations, China is not dependent on international arrivals to sustain its tourism economy.

Its strength lies in its domestic engine:

• A population of over 1.4 billion

• A rapidly expanding middle class

• High-speed rail networks connecting cities across vast distances

• Digital ecosystems that make travel planning, booking and payment seamless

From weekend urban breaks to long-distance heritage journeys, Chinese travellers travel frequently and in large numbers.

This creates a tourism system that is self-sustaining, resilient and far less exposed to global shocks than markets reliant on inbound flows.

Infrastructure at scale

China’s infrastructure is a defining competitive advantage.

The country’s high-speed rail network, the largest in the world, connects major cities and regional centres with speed and efficiency. Airports continue to expand, while domestic aviation remains highly active.

Layered onto this is a fully integrated digital ecosystem, where mobile payments, super apps and real-time booking platforms have removed friction from the travel experience.

The result is simple. Travel within China is easy, fast, and accessible, which drives frequency.

Inbound tourism, rising but not defining

International arrivals to China are recovering, but they remain a secondary component of the overall tourism picture.

Even as global visitors return to landmarks such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, inbound tourism accounts for only a small proportion of total travel activity.

This is the defining difference. While most countries compete aggressively for international visitors, China’s tourism strength is fundamentally internal. China may be the world’s largest tourism market by total movement, but it is not yet the leading destination for international visitors. Official figures show around 130 to 150 million inbound trips annually, although a large share comes from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Strip those out, and China receives roughly 80 million foreign visitors a year, still behind Europe’s top destinations such as France and Spain. Long-haul arrivals from Western markets remain far smaller, typically around 25 to 30 million, highlighting the gap China must close to become a truly global inbound powerhouse. Inbound growth matters, but it does not define the market.

Economic power, measured in trillions

Tourism in China is not just about volume. It is about economic impact.

Domestic travel spending alone contributes approximately 1.4 trillion dollars annually, supporting:

• Airlines and high-speed rail operators

• Hotels and resorts across all segments

• Food and beverage, retail and entertainment

• Cultural attractions and regional economies

By comparison, the US generates higher overall tourism revenue, but through a different model that combines domestic strength with strong inbound spending. China’s model is unique. It is built on internal demand.

Global comparison: The gap is structural

Other leading tourism markets rely far more heavily on inbound travel.

France and Spain depend on international arrivals for economic impact.

Thailand balances inbound tourism with a solid domestic base.

The US benefits from both strong domestic travel and high-value international visitors.

China stands apart. Its tourism system is not driven by external demand. Its own population powers it. This makes its dominance structural rather than cyclical.

Behavioural shift and travel patterns

Chinese travellers are evolving. There is a growing preference for experiential travel, cultural immersion and shorter, more frequent trips. Secondary cities and regional destinations are seeing increased demand as travellers seek new experiences beyond traditional hotspots.

At the same time, value, convenience and accessibility remain critical drivers. This behavioural shift further reinforces domestic travel.

What happens next

China’s tourism leadership is secure, but the next phase of growth will be shaped by direction rather than volume.

Rising fuel costs, economic uncertainty and shifting consumer priorities are expected to reinforce domestic travel patterns.

Short-haul and regional travel will continue to dominate, supported by infrastructure and convenience.

International travel will recover steadily, but the gap between domestic and inbound tourism will remain significant.

China will continue to generate billions of trips internally, while gradually rebuilding its position in global inbound tourism.

The bottom line

China is already the world’s No 1 tourism giant. Not because it attracts the most international visitors. But because it moves more people, more often, than any country in history.

Measured in billions, not millions, China has redefined the scale of travel.

It is not simply leading the global tourism industry – it is operating at a level no other market can match.

About the Author
Andrew J Wood is a Bangkok-based media executive, travel writer and former hotel executive specialising in Asian tourism. A resident of Thailand since 1991, he brings over four decades of international hospitality experience, including senior roles with leading hotel groups such as Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Minor Hotels and the Royal Cliff Hotels Group.

A former Director of Skål International, he also served as President of Skål Asia and National President of Skål Thailand, and twice as President of Skål International Bangkok. He writes widely on tourism and aviation trends across Asia.

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Shanghai (PVG) to Tashkent (TAS), Uzbekistan

This route is an expansion into Central Asia that supports China’s “Belt and Road” initiative.

Start Date: 30 March 2026.

Frequency: Four weekly flights (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays).

Aircraft: A330-200.

Details: Flights depart Shanghai Pudong at 1340 and return from Tashkent on the same day. This follows the airline’s launch of service to Xi’an–Tashkent in 2025. 

Flight schedule

MU6037 departs Shanghai (PVG) at 1340 and arrives in Tashkent (TAS) at 1840.
MU6038 departs Tashkent (TAS) at 2020 and arrives in Shanghai (PVG) at 0615 plus a day.

Xi’an (XIY) to Vienna (VIE), Austria

China Eastern is positioning Xi’an as a major international hub with this new link to Europe.

Start Date: 20 April 2026.

Frequency: three weekly (Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays).

Aircraft: A330-200.

Significance: This is a direct service aimed at capturing the growing demand for travel between Western China and Central Europe.

Flight schedule

MU5063 departs Xi’an (XIY) at 0130 and arrives in Vienna (VIE) at 0610.
MU5064 departs Vienna (VIE) at 1330 and arrives in Xi’an (XIY) at 0550 plus a day.

Shanghai (PVG) to Adelaide (ADL), Australia

This is a seasonal service marking the return of a direct link to South Australia.

Operations timeline: 20 June 2026 to 2 August 2026.

Frequency: Three weekly.

Outbound: Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Return: Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

Aircraft: A350-900.

Details: This route targets the peak winter travel season in Australia and summer holidays in China.

Flight schedule

MU781 departs Shanghai (PVG) at 1940 and arrives in Adelaide (ADL) at 0730, plus a day. (Mon, Thu, Sat)
MU782 departs Adelaide (ADL) at 0930 and arrives in  Shanghai (PVG) at 1830. (Tue, Fri, Sun).

China Eastern: More network adjustments

Sydney rejig: Starting 29 March 2026, the airline is switching its Wuhan (WUH)–Sydney (SYD) routing to a Beijing Daxing (PKX)-(WUH)–Sydney (SYD) service.  

Manila terminal shift: Also effective 29 March  2026, the airline will move its operations at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3.

India resumption: The airline recently upgraded its Shanghai–New Delhi service to a daily direct service.

Takeaways 

Tashkent Expansion: By adding Shanghai to its existing Xi’an–Tashkent service, China Eastern will become a major player for travel to Uzbekistan.

Vienna Connectivity: The 0130 departure from Xi’an gets travellers to Europe early in the morning, ready for a full first day of sightseeing or business meetings.

Adelaide Return: This is good news for South Australia’s hospitality and tour content suppliers, as it’s the first direct link to mainland China since 2020.

(Source: China Eastern Airlines with additional reporting)

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At a signing ceremony and press conference held in Tbilisi last week, the announcement highlights Georgia’s continued commitment to the Chinese outbound travel market and the further strengthening of tourism cooperation between Georgia and China.

ITB China will work closely with the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) on destination promotion, industry exchange, and business matchmaking.

The official signing ceremony and press conference were jointly attended by the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) and the ITB China organiser, Messe Berlin (China). The event brought together 35 local tourism organisations and companies, including hotel groups, destination management companies (DMCs), travel agencies, and OTA platforms.

Georgia’s Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, commented: “Becoming the Partner Destination of ITB China 2026 is a significant milestone for Georgia’s tourism development. 

This partnership reflects Georgia’s strategic commitment to strengthening tourism cooperation with China, expanding business opportunities for our tourism industry, and further positioning Georgia as a diverse, high-quality, and welcoming destination for Chinese travellers.”

Since the introduction of the mutual visa-free travel policy between China and Georgia, awareness of Georgia among Chinese travellers has continued to rise, firmly placing the destination in the outbound travel consideration set. In parallel, discussions and destination-related content about Georgia on Chinese social media and travel platforms have gained momentum, further strengthening market recognition.

China’s outbound travel to Georgia has grown strongly in recent years. In 2024, Georgia welcomed 88,583 visitors from China, marking an 83.4% year-on-year increase. This momentum continued in 2025, with arrivals rising to 127,895, up 44,4% year-on-year, positioning China among Georgia’s fastest-growing international source markets.

About ITB China
ITB China 2026 will take place from 26 to 28 May in the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre. 

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The airline has operated four flights per week from Almaty to Guangzhou since March 2025. Air Astana also operates scheduled flights to China’s capital, Beijing, and to Urumqi in western China. It will launch a new service between Almaty and Shanghai at the end of March 2026.

Flights from Astana to Guangzhou are scheduled to operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with departures at 1845 and arrivals at 0430 next day. 

The return flight will operate on Wednesdays and Fridays, departing from Guangzhou at 0545 and arriving in Astana at 1010. All times local.  The airline will deploy its latest-generation 166-seat A321LR aircraft, configured with 16 lie-flat business-class seats and 150 economy seats. Flight time is six hours and 45 minutes from Astana to Guangzhou.

The cost of a round-trip ticket from Astana to Guangzhou, including fees/taxes, starts from USD508 in economy class and USD1,688 in business class.

The launch of the new route strengthens business, tourism, and cultural ties between Kazakhstan and China and expands opportunities for travel and transit through Air Astana hubs in Astana and Almaty.

(Source: Air Astana Group).

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Through this partnership, PKFARE will strengthen connectivity with regional and local destination management companies (DMCs), particularly across APAC. Leveraging TA Network’s infrastructure, PKFARE will access real-time rates and inventory with greater accuracy, rate competitiveness, and inventory control, enabling faster responses and more reliable service for its partners. 

PKFARE Founder and President Jason Song said, “Direct connectivity with DMCs is a key pillar of PKFARE’s long-term sourcing strategy. This collaboration strengthens our ability to deliver well-curated, more competitive hotel content and greater value to our partners.”

TA Network, Regional Director – Ecosystem & Partnerships, North Asia, Jean Hsieh added: “PKFARE is a well-established global travel wholesaler with strong distribution capabilities and clear strength on operational excellence. By working together, we enable DMCs to connect more efficiently with international demand while supporting PKFARE’s commitment to providing high-quality, directly connected inventory to the market.”

The partnership will initially focus on onboarding DMCs through TA Network’s ecosystem, with plans to expand coverage across key destinations and directly contracted hotels over time. Both companies will collaborate closely to ensure seamless connectivity, scalable growth, and consistent service standards for DMC partners and travel sellers.

About PKFARE
PKFARE, a subsidiary of DerbySoft Group, is a leading global travel wholesaler focused on curating high-quality content and driving efficiency to fuel real growth.

Its inventory includes 600 airlines (400 full-service carriers and 200 low-cost carriers) and 650,000+ hotels across 100 countries, serving more than 2,000 active clients worldwide.

About Trip Affiliates Network
Headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Indonesia, Vietnam & Thailand, Trip Affiliates Network provides FIT/group inbound & outbound turnkey solutions & add-on direct supplier connectivity services for travel agents, wholesalers & hotels. 

(Source: PKFARE)

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The new content includes over 70 leading domestic Chinese hotel chains – some of the largest hotel groups globally by room count – as well as the domestic operations of international hotel brands, along with numerous independent hotels.   

Through the new Fuxun content, Sabre-connected travel sellers will benefit from 100,000 additional property options across China, including independent hotels and local chains.  

The expanded lodging content will flow directly to SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace, which unifies content from 2 million lodging options, a leading number of NDC airlines, 150 low-cost carriers, 420 EDIFACT carriers, and 70 car and rail providers in one platform. Within lodging, SabreMosaic Travel Marketplace also connects agencies to both Sabre content and options from leading aggregators, including Booking.com, Bedsonline, Nuitee, and TOTV. 

(Source: Sabre)

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Air Astana first launched service from Kazakhstan to China more than 20 years ago.

Departures from Almaty are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with departures at 1910 and arrivals in Shanghai at 0425 the next day. 

The return flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing from Shanghai at 0540 and arriving in Almaty at 1015. All times local.  

Flights will be operated by the latest generation 175-seat Airbus A321LR aircraft, with a flight time from Almaty to Shanghai of six hours and 15 minutes.

The cost of a round-trip ticket from Almaty to Shanghai, including fees/taxes, starts from USD560 in economy class and USD1,835 in business class.

(Source: Air Astana)

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Through this direct connection, PKFARE’s 2000-plus travel seller clients can access Citilink’s full content, including ancillary and branded fares, at competitive prices. At the same time, Citilink will broaden its global distribution reach while maintaining integrity controls.

Citilink has established itself as a major force in Indonesia’s domestic aviation market, serving as a vital connector for affordable air travel across more than 50 domestic destinations. 

Building on its strong domestic foundation, the airline is also expanding its footprint across Southeast Asia, having recently commenced flights to Bangkok, Thailand.

“PKFARE’s strong distribution presence in these regions enables us to better capture inbound demand, while maintaining distribution control and content integrity aligned with our commercial strategy. We are delighted to partner with Citilink to support its global distribution growth,” said PKFARE Founder and President Jason Song.

“This collaboration enables our travel seller clients to offer more competitive and diverse flight options across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. By strengthening direct airline partnerships, we continue to deliver better pricing, improved service quality, and integrity-assured content.”

According to IATA projections, the Asia-Pacific is expected to remain the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, with air traffic forecast to grow 7.3% year over year in 2026. PKFARE has established direct connections with leading regional airlines, including AirAsia, Lion Air, VietJet Air, and IndiGo, and will continue to accelerate partnerships with major APAC carriers to deliver curated, high-quality content to global travel sellers.

About PKFARE 
PKFARE, a subsidiary of DerbySoft Group, is a leading global travel wholesaler focused on curating high-quality content and driving efficiency to fuel real growth. It specialises in delivering relevant travel content spanning flights, hotels, and ancillaries. By expanding direct partnerships with airlines and hotels and leveraging a blended multi-sourcing model, PKFARE provides both breadth of choice and competitive pricing.

(Source: PKFARE)

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The first flight from Shanghai to a major South American city carried 282 passengers. It opens a new “southbound corridor” across the Pacific and offers an alternative to traditional routes via Middle Eastern, European, or North American airlines. 

The journey, which previously took 30 hours, is now reduced to roughly 25 hours. China Eastern Airlines operates the route with Boeing 777-300ER wide-body aircraft. 

Flight MU745 (Shanghai–Buenos Aires) will depart on Mondays and Thursdays, while MU746 will return on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Before departure, China Eastern Airlines hosted a brief inaugural ceremony at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which featured Argentine-themed decor and commemorative gifts. 

Beyond a new air corridor, the route links three continents under fifth-freedom rights.  China Eastern Airlines can handle passenger and cargo transfers in Auckland without aircraft change, facilitating trade among China, New Zealand, and Argentina. 

(Source: China Eastern Airlines)

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