Overview

• Foreign visitor numbers to China fell from 96.6 million in 2019 to 64.9 million in 2024 after pandemic travel cuts and Ukraine-war route changes.
• Munich airport saw US-bound traffic rise by 37,000 passengers and Frankfurt by 7,600, while flights to China from both hubs declined year-on-year.
• Studiosus and Tui report growing demand for China tours among German, Austrian and Swiss travelers constrained only by limited flight capacity.
• China has eliminated visa requirements for many Europeans, improved digital payment access and introduced senior-focused rail packages to boost domestic travel.
• The WTTC and Oxford Economics project more than $12 billion in lost tourism revenue for the US in 2025 due to declining foreign visits under President Trump’s administration.