rise in both international and domestic tourists.<\/span><\/a> <\/p>\nOfficial statistics in September showed that for the first seven months in 2025, Chongqing received 279 million domestic visitors who spent 297.6 billion yuan \u2013 an 11.1 per cent increase over the same period in 2024.<\/p>\n
Chongqing received 760,000 foreign tourists in 2025, a 30 per cent jump from 2024. The top five sources were Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and South Korea, with South-east Asia accounting for 72 per cent of total overseas visitors.<\/p>\n
Local media reported that total tourist spending in Chongqing for both domestic and international travellers exceeded 550 billion yuan in 2025. <\/p>\n
Foreign tourists\u2019 shopping lists included smartphones, drones, designer toys, hotpot base ingredients and traditional Chinese medicine products, according to officials.<\/p>\n
Professor Huang Qinghua at the Southwest University College of Economics and Management said China\u2019s push to allow more foreign visitors to enter the country without a visa and Chongqing\u2019s high social media exposure have helped the city attract more international visitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cTravelling into China has become more fuss-free, and more people are getting to know China\u2019s south-western region, such as Chongqing, Sichuan and Yunnan, on social media,\u201d he told The Straits Times.<\/p>\n
He added that the addition of foreign tourists solidified Chongqing\u2019s leading position as one of China\u2019s top tourist cities, given that the city has always been popular with out-of-towners.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marketing professor Wang Wangshuai at Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou said that tourists \u201cslip into a vacation mindset\u201d when they visit a trendy destination like Chongqing. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey become far less price-sensitive and much more willing to pay for experiences that offer immediate emotional compensation or a great social media post, like eating authentic hotpot in a converted bomb shelter,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
An official statement in January showed that for 2025, overall air travel volume in and out of Chongqing grew 6.9 per cent to 46.3 million, while rail trips hit 1.5 billion, an 11.7 per cent increase from 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These increases boosted the food-and-beverage industry\u2019s revenue, which grew 4.6 per cent from 2024 to hit 247 billion yuan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since April 2025, the Chongqing authorities have encouraged local businesses to experiment with ways to get consumers to spend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These include holding food-themed movie screenings coupled with tastings, sporting events and the incubation of what the country calls the \u201cdebut economy\u201d.\u00a0This refers to store launches of new products, business models or technology and services to generate buzz among consumers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Thai tourist, who gave his name only as Top, told ST that he busted his budget by about 70 per cent during his five-day visit to Chongqing in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not expect to go out partying every night. Chongqing has a very vibrant nightlife scene,\u201d said the 33-year-old, who was drawn to visit after seeing the city\u2019s attractions on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy friends and I would have our dinner, walk along Jialing River, and then head to a club or a livehouse venue,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Southwest University College of Economics and Management\u2019s Prof Huang said that Chongqing\u2019s lower cost of living, as compared with that of first-tier cities like Shanghai, provides better value for tourists. \u201cChongqing\u2019s culinary specialities, including hotpot and noodles, are not expensive here,\u201d Prof Huang said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, many attractions in Chongqing such as Hongyadong \u2013 a revamped stilt building constructed along cliffs by the river \u2013 that netizens see on social media are free to visit, he added.<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University\u2019s Prof Wang explained that as \u201crestaurant catering and retail sales at tourist spots are strictly counted towards a city\u2019s total retail sales of consumer goods, this relentless flood of high-frequency, emotionally driven spending directly pushed Chongqing\u2019s overall numbers past Shanghai\u2019s\u201d. <\/p>\n
Boosting domestic demand remains a top priority for China in 2026, as stated in the latest government work report released in early March, with policymakers working to raise consumer spending to cushion against geopolitical uncertainties.<\/p>\n
Prof Wang said that Chongqing\u2019s overtaking of Shanghai as China\u2019s top city for consumer spending bodes well for the government\u2019s push to increase domestic demand in 2026.<\/p>\n