New Jersey, USA - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of New York New Jersey Stadium, banner for FIFA World Cup 2026
2. Banner for New York, New Jersey
3. 2026 FIFA World Cup-themed decorations in shopping mall

Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Qi Yue, head, business growth operations, Airbnb China:
"We have observed that Chinese travelers are staying an average of more than nine nights across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. They are choosing longer stays and exploring more cities to experience the World Cup in a deeper way."

FILE: Shanghai, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of signs, passengers at airport

FILE: Shanghai, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Planes at airport

Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Shi Ke, researcher, Qunar Big Data Research Institute:
"Sweden and Finland saw the biggest growth in travelers to China, with flight bookings up more than four times year-on-year. Poland, Vietnam, and Denmark also saw increases of over two times."

FILE: Shanghai, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Aerial shots of city view

FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of tourists posing for photos

FILE: Beijing, China - April 28, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of posters promoting "GO BEIJING" online service platform
11. Various of pedestrians, foreign tourists

The appeal of international sporting events, improved visa facilitation policies, and a growing demand for more in-depth cultural experiences in lesser known locations is driving a continued boom in China's inbound and outbound tourism market this summer.

Data shows that Chinese travelers remain highly enthusiastic about making trips overseas, while the country is also welcoming an increasing influx of visitors coming in, showing a new trend of travelers being more keen to explore diverse destinations and seeking out deeper experiences.

According to leading home-share platform Airbnb, Chinese outbound travel has been significantly boosted by the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and is set to get underway in mid-June.

Accommodation bookings by Chinese travelers in the three host countries has tripled year-on-year, with Monterrey in Mexico seeing search interest surge a staggering 14 times, making it an emerging hotspot for visitors.

"We have observed that Chinese travelers are staying an average of more than nine nights across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. They are choosing longer stays and exploring more cities to experience the World Cup in a deeper way," said Qi Yue, head of business growth operations for Airbnb China.

Meanwhile, inbound tourism in China is also gaining momentum, driven in particular by a raft of visa-free policies being offered to more countries.

The summer months are likely to see an uptick in travel, with data from Umetrip, a platform for real-time flight information, showing that more than 43,000 inbound flights are scheduled for July, with over 1.52 million tickets booked as of Tuesday, an increase of about 6 percent year-on-year.

Popular destinations include the major metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, as well as Chengdu, known as the home of the giant panda, the northeastern city of Shenyang, and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to online Chinese travel platform Qunar.

Meanwhile, there are also signs that international tourists are becoming more adventurous in their quest for authentic travel experiences, as smaller cities such as Ganzhou in east China's Jiangxi Province, Mianyang in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tongliao in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and Beihai in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are also attracting more visitors from overseas.

Analysts note there has been an especially big rise in the number of visitors coming to China from several Scandinavian countries, with the introduction of a visa-free entry policy late last year likely a factor.

"Sweden and Finland saw the biggest growth in travelers to China, with flight bookings up more than four times year-on-year. Poland, Vietnam, and Denmark also saw increases of over two times," said Shi Ke, a researcher at the Qunar Big Data Research Institute.