The 2026 China (Guangdong) International Tourism Industry Expo (CITIE 2026) concluded in Guangzhou on Sept. 13, with preliminary figures showing more than 80 million yuan (about $12 million) in on-site transactions by travel agencies and online travel platforms.
Held at Area A of the Canton Fair Complex, the three-day expo brought together more than 1,200 tourism organizations and businesses from nearly 50 countries and regions, attracting more than 160,000 professional visitors and members of the public.
With Guangdong as its base, CITIE 2026 served as a platform connecting destinations, tourism companies and buyers from China and abroad.
One of the strongest signs of the expo's commercial impact was its tourism consumption initiatives. The 2026 Guangdong Golden Autumn Culture and Tourism Consumption Season was launched during the expo, with 30 million yuan in government tourism subsidies and nearly 10,000 discounted products offered by participating businesses. The subsidy program achieved a leverage ratio of more than 1:8 in tourism spending, helping drive demand for autumn travel as well as the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and China's National Day holiday period.
At the same time, a tourism investment promotion event held during the expo saw the signing of major tourism projects worth more than 11.5 billion yuan, linking consumer demand with longer-term investment in the tourism sector.
Connecting global tourism supply and demand
International participation was a major feature of CITIE 2026. The expo brought together destinations and tourism organizations from nearly 50 countries and regions. Organizers held dedicated matchmaking sessions for outbound travel, as well as meetings on emerging tourism technologies.
More than 5,000 matchmaking sessions were completed, helping connect destinations, travel agencies, technology companies and other players across the tourism value chain.
For Guangdong, the results of CITIE 2026 point to a broader ambition: to connect its rapidly growing tourism market with destinations and businesses around the world, while turning international exchange into concrete business opportunities.
Reporter | Li Fangwang
Photos | Li Fangwang
