Market spotlight: China

Gabriel Cai
Managing Director
Visit California China

Market performance

Through July 2026, California welcomed 364,000 nonresident air arrivals from China, up 0.7% from 2025. China was California’s third-largest international source market during this time, behind only Canada and Mexico. Over the past few years, it has been one of the state’s largest overseas source markets by both visitation and spending.

China’s year-to-date growth is positive but tracking closer to the Downside Forecast scenario of -0.8% rather than the Baseline Forecast of 3.9% growth. Compared to California’s other priority markets, which are down 4.7% YTD through July, this is still a strong performance. 

In 2025, 38% of Chinese visitors traveling to the U.S. visited California, maintaining the state’s position as a leading U.S. destination for the market.

Chinese travelers are shifting away from traditional group tours toward F.I.T., personalized and luxury experiences. Travel inspiration and planning are increasingly mobile-first and influenced by social platforms such as RED and Weibo, as well as AI tools.

Competitive environment

China’s recovery continues to be influenced by access and broader market conditions. Visit California research identifies airlift capacity, visa processing times and geopolitics as key factors. Airfares also remain a consideration, even as flight options gradually expand.

At the same time, Chinese travelers have more destination choices and are seeking differentiated experiences. California remains a leading North American destination for premium and experiential travel, with continued demand from affluent, high-spending Chinese visitors. Maintaining California’s visibility and making travel products easy to understand and book will be important to sustaining the state’s competitive position.

Visit California programs

Visit California’s FY26/27 China strategy takes an integrated partnership approach across the consumer journey, connecting travel inspiration with planning, booking and in-market experiences.

Partnerships with airlines, OTA platforms, payment providers and car rental partners are designed to make California easier to discover, plan and book. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines will combine route promotion with trade and consumer engagement, while Zuzuche will connect California road trip inspiration with AI-powered itinerary planning, car rentals and experiences. Alipay will extend engagement into the in-destination journey, linking pre-trip promotion with payment touchpoints and traveler spending.

Continued investment in education and product development will also strengthen travel trade confidence and support conversion. Together, these efforts are designed to sustain California’s momentum in China, build long-term demand and position the state to capitalize on major global events, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.