Shanghai received 9,360,200 inbound tourist visits in 2025, up 39.58% on 2024, according to a Shanghai government report of 23 January 2026 that cites the Shanghai Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau. About 7,138,700 of them were foreign nationals, and South Korea was the biggest source country with 909,100 visits.
The 2025 totals
The Shanghai government page of 23 January 2026 reprints a Jiefang Daily report and says the figures come from the Shanghai Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau. It calls both the total and the overnight figure records. It treats foreign nationals as over 70% of inbound visitors. It does not define “inbound visit”, so we do not say whether the figure counts arrivals or individual travellers.
| Measure, 2025 | Figure | Change on 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound visits | 9,360,200 | +39.58% |
| Inbound overnight visits | 8,789,400 | +45.09% |
| Foreign-national visits | 7,138,700 | Nearly +50% |
Which countries send the most visitors?
| Source country | Visits in 2025 | Growth on 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 909,100 | +103.62% |
| Japan | 638,700 | +55% |
| United States | 541,200 | Not given |
| Thailand | 513,700 | +70.16% |
| Malaysia | 471,500 | Not given |
| Singapore | 374,700 | Not given |
The report says the United States is the top long-haul source and trails only South Korea and Japan among the top 15 source countries. South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore together make up nearly one third of inbound visitors.
Among long-haul markets, the fastest growth in 2025 was Russia at 59.23%, Italy at 52.43% and Australia at 44.46%. The report ties Russia’s growth to a visa-exemption trial for Russian visitors that began in September 2025.
What this means if you are planning a trip
More visitors means busier landmarks. We plan the Bund, Yu Garden and the Shanghai Museum for the hour you prefer, and give you two or three stops a day. The sources do not say which months or places were busiest, so we make no claim about crowds on particular dates.
Limits of these figures
The report is a Chinese-language news item on a government site, and the issuing bureau’s own statistical release is not on that page. We could not read an English version. Re-check these figures against the bureau’s release before you quote them in print.
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists visit Shanghai each year?
In 2025, 9,360,200 inbound visits, up 39.58%, according to a Shanghai government report of 23 January 2026. Domestic tourist numbers are not covered by that report.
How many foreign tourists visited Shanghai in 2025?
7,138,700 foreign-national visits, nearly 50% more than in 2024, per the same report.
Which country sends the most tourists to Shanghai?
South Korea, with 909,100 visits in 2025, followed by Japan at 638,700.
How many American tourists visit Shanghai?
541,200 visits in 2025. The report calls the US the top long-haul source.
Is Shanghai tourism growing?
Inbound visits grew 39.58% in 2025 and overnight inbound visits grew 45.09%.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked on 9 November 2026 against these sources, from official pages where they exist and from the Wikipedia articles named in the list. Hours, prices and access change; we confirm them again before every trip.
