Though the tourism industry in Dongguan is not as developed as in some other cities in China, it is just as advanced. Dongguan is quite experienced in receiving business travelers. The city offers many high-end recreational facilities and services, resulting from its rapid economic development. Domestic travelers do represent the majority of visitors to Dongguan, there are only a moderate number of foreign visitors, being them mostly business travelers. Large tourist groups are not a frequent sight, but they are just as welcome!

The number of tourist arrivals to Dongguan has grown rapidly. Though tourism development here started a few years later than other cities in China, Dongguan has made impressive progress. 2003, 2006 and 2007 were quite significant to the region’s success.

2007 was quite impressive. The total tourist arrivals reached 17,251,200 (an increase of 26.6% over the previous year); with 11,613,700 (an increase of 23.4%) overnight travelers. The number of foreign travelers was 2.48 million, accounting for 14.4 percent of total visitors. Of international travelers, 63 percent were from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; with an average length-of-stay of 4.3 days and average expenditure person of US$ 118.08. Total tourism receipts reached RMB 11.888 billion (23.8 percent higher than the previous year). Furthermore, domestic travelers are very important. Their average length-of-stay was 2.52 days, with an average expenditure of RMB 582.22 per capita (ranking 5th among Guangdong cities), these travelers spent a significant share of their expenditure on shopping.