“China is Back” Hot Topic at DAVOS Submit

When Beijing told Davos “China is back” in early 2023, most people heard a one-line headline. Three years on, the reopening is a real, measurable thing. China now runs visa-free entry for travelers from 46 countries, a policy extended to 31 December 2026. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, foreigners made about 8.32 million visa-free entries, close to 78% of all inbound foreign crossings and up roughly 30% year on year. Ctrip expects 38 million foreign visitors across 2026, about 60% of the pre-pandemic 2019 peak. The door is open. The question for brands and destinations is simple: are you visible to the Chinese travelers and overseas buyers who are coming back?

While China’s economic opening might increase global growth, policymakers and business leaders at the World Economic Forum this week are concerned about its potential inflationary effects.
The most talked about topic at the Davos gathering in Switzerland Alps was China’s decision not to accept tourists anymore, but to make it easier to travel abroad.

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This is a major economic event in 2023. The business community is excited to make new deals with the second-largest economy in the world.

However, inflation and living costs are still under threat.

China reopened to business and tourism: where things stand in 2026

The story since Davos 2023 is steady recovery, not a sudden boom. On the inbound side, the visa-free scheme covering 46 countries has done the heavy lifting. About 8.32 million foreigners entered visa-free in Q1 2026, and Ctrip forecasts 38 million foreign visitors for the full year. That is still below 2019, but the trend points up, and the spend per visitor is rising as China courts business travel and longer stays.

Here is the part most foreign brands miss. Chinese travelers do not plan trips the way they did before. They research and book through Xiaohongshu and Douyin, not through old-style travel portals. A hotel, a shop, a museum or a tour gets discovered because a real person posted a photo and a few honest lines about it. If your business sits along a route that inbound or domestic Chinese visitors take, you need to be findable on those apps in Chinese. For a practical walk-through of how that discovery works, see our Xiaohongshu marketing guide for 2026.

For startups and smaller brands the good news is cost. You do not need a giant budget to show up here. A handful of well-placed posts, a clear Chinese-language profile and a few partnerships with mid-size creators often beat a slow, expensive campaign. China is back, and for once the small players have a fair shot at the attention.

The Slow Return of Big-Spending Chinese Tourists is Slow.

Prior to the pandemic, Chinese tourists were a major source of tourism revenue worldwide.
Many countries around the globe are welcoming back Chinese tourists. They were once the biggest source of global tourism revenue. The travel industry doesn’t expect things to return to their old state even though China has reopened its borders.

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