Guangdong Province Accelerates Inbound Tourism Development

Strategic Insights -

Guangdong Province, a major economic powerhouse in China, is accelerating its inbound tourism development by implementing a series of measures to improve the convenience and attractiveness of its tourism products and services. The 2025 Guangdong International Tourism Industry Expo opened on September 12, featuring an inbound tourism exhibition area that showcases the province's unique culture and tourism offerings to global tourists and travel agents.

Key Takeaways:

  • Guangdong Province saw an annual increase in inbound tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings since 2023, ranking among the highest in China.
  • In the first half of 2025, Guangdong welcomed 39.31 million inbound tourists, generating 98.78 billion yuan in foreign exchange earnings from tourism, with an average per capita spending of 2,512.8 yuan.
  • The "Measures" include 23 measures in six major areas, including optimizing visa and customs clearance policies, promoting the in-depth integration of aviation and travel, enriching the supply of inbound tourism products, improving comprehensive inbound tourism services, strengthening integrated publicity and targeted marketing, and improving the open management level of cultural and tourism venues.
  • The Measures propose incorporating various entry and exit facilitation policies into tourism product development, encouraging tourism companies to design and launch more cruise routes to attract more tourists to inbound cruises.
  • The Measures also aim to create two to three world-class tourist attractions and resorts with international influence, as well as a number of island-hopping tours and multi-stop sea tours in the Bay Area.
  • The Measures emphasize supporting the establishment of tourism information service centers at international airports within the province to provide inbound tourists with one-stop services such as tourism consultation, online reservations, guided tours, mobile payments, and mobile phone card applications.
  • The Measures encourage and guide more merchants to become tax refund shops, making it easier for inbound tourists to spend money in Guangdong and help convert inbound tourist traffic into consumer spending.

Statistics:

  • In the first half of 2025, Guangdong welcomed 39.31 million inbound tourists, generating 98.78 billion yuan in foreign exchange earnings from tourism.
  • The average per capita spending of inbound tourists in the first half of 2025 was 2,512.8 yuan.
  • As of the end of July 2025, approximately 30,000 key merchants across the province accepted foreign-accepting cards, and the cumulative transaction value of foreign-accepting cards increased by 59% year-on-year from January to July.
  • From January to August 2025, sales and refund amounts at departure tax refund shops in Guangdong Province (excluding Shenzhen) increased by 133.8% and 156.58% year-on-year, respectively.

Sources:

  • Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism
  • Guangdong Provincial Taxation Bureau of the State Administration of Taxation
  • People's Bank of China's Guangdong Branch
  • Guangdong Tourism Holdings Group