Confirmation comes from booking platform data and tour operator results: China is gaining more ground in the travel choices of Italians. After the pandemic hiatus and an initially gradual restart, the dragon is experiencing a phase of strong tourism revival, supported by the simplification of entry procedures, improved infrastructure, and a new image of the destination. 

Aurélie Sandler (left) and Laurent de Chorivit, co-CEOs of Evaneos Photo: Courtesy of DR Evaneos

In the first six months of 2026, 50 percent of European travel requests to China came from Italy, compared to 46 percent in 2025 and 39 percent in 2024, according to Evaneos, a platform specializing in tailor-made trips organized with local agencies. This leadership is also reflected in actual sales, with the Italian market representing 38.2 percent. 

Since 2023, requests from Italians have increased sevenfold, and between 2024 and 2025, they recorded a 106 percent increase. 

In the first half of 2026, the growth continued with an additional 27.7 percent compared to the same period in 2025, while January marked a peak of 50 percent.

A similar signal came from Trip.com, a Chinese online travel booking giant, which reported that in 2025, air bookings from Italy to China made through the platform increased by 123 percent compared to 2024, against a growth of 92 percent for all Asian destinations. The revival is also confirmed by the results of specialized operators. 

Mistral Tour, a brand of the Quality Group, has recorded a 43 percent increase in revenue and a 38 percent increase in passengers to China since the beginning of 2026 compared to 2025. 

"For decades, China's tourism potential remained partially unexpressed due to an unfavorable international image, an evolving hospitality culture, and services not always suited to the needs of Western travelers," emphasized Michele Serra, CEO of Mistral and president of the Quality Group, which has been involved in destination programming for 50 years. 

"Today, the scenario appears profoundly changed. New infrastructure, technologies capable of reducing language and organizational barriers, and a generation of more service-oriented tourism businesses have contributed to transforming the travel experience," he continued. 

"The results are exceeding our own expectations," concluded Serra, who envisions China becoming, within a few years, the group's top destination, surpassing established markets like the US, Japan, and Africa.

Li Haijing, market director for Southern Europe, the Trip.com Group Photo: Courtesy of MF/Milano Finanza

Engines of recovery

A decisive factor in this trend has been the visa exemption for stays of up to 30 days, combined with an increase in flight frequency to and from China that has surpassed pre-COVID levels. In particular, from Malpensa, in the first half of 2026, traffic on routes to Greater China from the Lombard airport increased by 36 percent, with 60 weekly flights. 

"We estimate an increase of between 15 percent and 20 percent on our routes, targeting 200,000 passengers this year," confirmed Camillo Bozzolo, development director of aviation for the Save Group, which manages Venice's Marco Polo Airport and the city's connections to Shanghai and Beijing with China Eastern and Air China. But the change also concerns the tourism product. 

In the years following the pandemic, strong domestic demand in China has favored the development of destinations previously little frequented by foreigners, with investments in accommodation, airports, and rail connections. 

The result is a broader tourism geography, where major cities and monumental sites coexist with natural areas and regions that were difficult to include in international circuits until a few years ago. 

The recovery also involves flows from abroad as a whole: According to data from the National Immigration Administration, between July and September of this year, the entries of foreign citizens into China reached 9 million people, a 24 percent increase from 2025. 

This increase in movements has also made it mandatory for foreign travel agencies or intermediaries to register in China under new regulations that came into effect on September 15. More than 1,200 travel agencies and 6,000 intermediaries have already registered.

Michele Serra, CEO of Mistral Photo: Courtesy of MF/Milano Finanza

Not just Beijing

The transformation of demand is also evident from the characteristics of Evaneos customers. Eighty percent of requests come from users who had never used the platform before, with couples making up 58 percent of requests, followed by small groups of three or four people at 26 percent. 

In 91 percent of cases, these are trips without minors. 

Alongside classic itineraries that include Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, and the Great Wall, interest is growing for personalized experiences: from the Li River and the terraced rice fields of Longji, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, and the traditional tulou collective dwellings of Fujian. 

"The increase in interest is not only linked to the reopening of the country and the introduction of the visa exemption but also to travelers' desire to return to planning more ambitious itineraries," emphasizes Laurent de Chorivit, co-CEO of Evaneos.

Demand is articulated between cultural tourism and "bleisure," the combination of business travel and leisure stays, particularly interesting for destinations like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing. The Italian offer is adapting. 

Alongside specialists like Mistral and Chinasia, China appears in the programming of Boscolo, UTAT, and Azonzo Travel, while group travel operators like Avventure nel Mondo, WeRoad, Tramundi, and SiVola are targeting different customer segments. 

Although there is still no updated overall statistic to accurately quantify Italian tourist arrivals and the market shares of individual operators, the convergence between platform data and commercial results indicates a significant recovery.