China Policy Update — 26 July 2026

policy • 26 July 2026

According to China Travel News and IHG’s Greater China development updates, China’s tourism infrastructure is seeing fresh momentum through **new hotel openings** and **major signing activity**, especially in gateway cities and leisure destinations.[1][7] For Australian travellers, the most useful takeaway is that more internationally branded accommodation is coming online across both major hubs and secondary leisure markets, improving choice and connectivity.[1][3] One of the clearest recent developments is **Holiday Inn’s signing of 24 new hotels in Greater China** at its Beijing Hotel Owner Forum, adding to a regional portfolio that already includes **168 open hotels** and **106 pipeline properties**.[7] China’s broader hotel pipeline also remains strong, with one industry overview citing **3,602 projects and 640,328 rooms** at the end of Q1 2026, while new announcements accelerated year-on-year.[3] That points to a continuing build-out of tourism infrastructure rather than a short-term spike.[3] On the opening side, the luxury and upscale segments are expanding quickly. Recent examples highlighted in the results include the **Radisson Collection Hotel, Hi-Tech Zone Chengdu**, which has debuted in Southwest China, and several upcoming or newly opened Marriott and IHG properties across cities such as **Hangzhou, Guilin, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Quanzhou, and Jingdezhen**.[11][3][8] For travellers planning China trips, this means stronger availability in key city-break and regional-escape destinations, with more internationally recognisable hotel options now appearing well beyond Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.[1][8]

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