Data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on October 26 showed that, in the first three quarters of 2026, domestic residents made 5.307 billion trips, an increase of 309 million trips year on year, or 6.2%. Urban residents accounted for 4.037 billion trips. During the same period, domestic residents spent nearly RMB 5 trillion on travel.

The year-on-year increase in trips indicates that demand for domestic travel continued to expand. In interpreting this figure, it is important to note that the trip count measures the number of trips taken. A resident who travels multiple times is counted once for each trip, so 5.307 billion trips should not be interpreted as the number of travelers.

For accommodation providers, tourist attractions, and travel service operators, growth in the total number of trips means more opportunities to reach consumer demand. However, national-level figures do not mean that demand is growing at the same pace in every region or for every type of tourism product. Whether visitor traffic converts into bookings and revenue still depends on travelers’ destination choices, spending plans, and the appeal of specific services.

Spending of nearly RMB 5 trillion reflects the overall scale of tourism consumption. However, this total alone is not enough to conclude that spending per trip has increased, nor should it be used to infer directly that industry profitability has improved. To assess the quality of growth in the tourism market, it is necessary to consider year-on-year changes in travel spending and examine how spending per trip relates to the growth in the number of trips.

The current data support the conclusion that domestic residents’ travel volume continued to expand in the first three quarters of 2026. Going forward, it will be worth watching whether consumer spending grows in step with the number of trips, and how the additional demand is distributed across destinations and tourism service segments.