Passengers wait in line at Hangzhou International Airport. [Photo provided by the Zhejiang General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection]

Zhejiang province saw record-breaking tourism revenue in the first seven months of 2025, with comprehensive earnings reaching 710.57 billion yuan ($99.24 billion), up 10.5 percent year-on-year, according to the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism.

Between January and July, Zhejiang welcomed a total of 516.13 million visits, marking a 9.3 percent increase from the same period last year.

Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Wenzhou ranked as the top three cities in total visitor volume, receiving 118.65 million, 60.11 million, and 54.88 million visits, respectively. In terms of year-on-year growth, Zhoushan, Wenzhou, and Huzhou led the province.

Holiday periods continued to drive strong tourism activity, with all major public holidays posting double-digit gains in tourism revenue. Growth rates ranged from 10.1 percent to 20.3 percent, all of which exceeded the growth in tourist numbers.

The strong figures reflect an increasingly optimized tourism structure. From January to June, the number of overnight stays in Zhejiang reached 239 million, up 12.6 percent year-on-year, while overnight tourism revenue rose 12.8 percent to 419.52 billion yuan.

The province also saw robust growth in visitors from outside Zhejiang. Over the first six months, it recorded 108 million visits from other provinces, an 11.7 percent increase, outpacing overall tourist growth by 1.5 percentage points.

Inbound tourism is also rebounding. Zhejiang received 1.83 million overnight international visitors in the first half of the year, a 22.2 percent increase year-over-year. International tourism revenue reached $1.89 billion, a 26.2 percent increase.

Alongside the inbound recovery, tax-free shopping saw a significant boost. From January to June, the province processed 2,819 tax refund transactions, with total eligible sales reaching 122.47 million yuan and outbound tax refunds totaling 13.47 million yuan — up 138.7 percent, 111.8 percent, and 111.7 percent, respectively, year-on-year.