Since Xi Jinping came to power in November 2012,China has promoteditself as a destination for foreign tourists and international students. After peaking around 2018–2019, both categories have trended steadily downward and have not recovered to pre-COVID levels.

TheChinese Communist Party(CCP) claims 132 million inbound tourists in 2024. However,approximately 105 million, roughly 80%, came from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. These are residents of Chinese-administered or Chinese-claimed territories crossing an internal administrative boundary, many doing so multiple times per year for work, family, or shopping.

Stripping those out, China received32 milliongenuine international visitors in 2024, a 51% decrease from the 65.7 million recorded in 2019 and a 10% decrease from 2023. Expanding visa-free access to 38 countries has failed to reverse the trend.

By comparison, theUS received 72.4 millioninternational visitors in 2024, up 9.1% from 2023 and reaching 91% of 2019 pre-COVID levels, more than double China’s genuine foreign visitor count. International visitorsspent $253.9 billionin the US in 2024, approximately 27.5% above 2019 levels, while spending by foreigners in China has been steadily declining.

The decline in foreign students studying in China follows the same trajectory. Enrollmentpeaked at 492,185in 2018, roughly double the figure from a decade earlier, with students from 196 countries and regions. By 2022, enrollment hadfallen to 292,000. The most current data, published in April 2026 by China’s Ministry of Education, shows380,000 international studentsenrolled for the 2024–2025 academic year, 23% below the 2018 peak. Of those, only 205,000 were pursuing degree programs, compared with 258,122 in 2018.

The financial performance of China’s airport stocks and travel retail sector provides a further indicator of the decline in overseas travel. Beijing Capital Airport, whichtrades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has been loss-making for at least five consecutive years. In 2024, operating expenses of$808 millionexceeded revenue of $756 million, producing a net loss of $191 million. The stock currently trades around $0.32, with technical signals rated Strong Sell across multiple timeframes.

Hainan Meilan Airport tells a similar story: the stockfell 35.79%over the past year to about $0.80 as of April 2026, while the company carries approximately$575 million in debtagainst only $6 million in cash and recorded losses of $49 million on revenue of $321 million. China Tourism Group Duty Free, the country’s largest travel retailer, has seen its A-sharefall 83%from its February 2021 peak of approximately $55.70 to approximately $9.35. Loss-making airports and collapsed valuations in travel retail reflect investor expectations of a sustained shortfall in both domestic and international travel demand.

China’s internet censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, blocks platforms that form the basic digital infrastructure of daily life for most Western travelers.Platforms unavailablein China include Google services, including Gmail and Google Maps, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. In April 2024, the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered Apple to remove WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese App Store, andas of October 2024, over 16,000 apps were unavailable on Apple’s App Store in China out of 56,400 tested, including hundreds of VPN services.

Foreign news is equally restricted.Blocked outletsinclude the BBC, Bloomberg, The Economist, The Guardian, Le Monde, NBC, The New York Times, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, among numerous others. CNN International, BBC World Service, and Bloomberg Television areavailable onlyin certain diplomatic compounds, hotels, and apartment blocks, subject to blackout during segments authorities deem sensitive. Journalists from Bloomberg and the New York Times have beenharassed, threatened, and denied visa renewals.

Foreign visitors can attempt to circumvent internet restrictions using a VPN, but this carries legal ambiguity and practical difficulty.VPN websites are blockedinside China, meaning the software must be downloaded and configured before arrival. Chinese authorities conduct random phone searches and may require visitors to delete VPN apps from their devices. Travelers entering Xinjiang have reported that authorities installed surveillance apps on their phones.

Source: The Gateway Pundit