This article analyses the status quo and dilemmas of Beijing’s inbound tourism market，from perspectives of international comparison，domestic comparison，longitudinal analysis and district-level comparisons. We find that Beijing lags far behind Shenzhen，Guangzhou，Shanghai，Hongkong，Macao，Taipei in terms of inbound tourism flows，which is incongruent with Beijing’s reputation as capital of China. Furthermore，this article analyses the pros and cons of Beijing’s international tourism development in terms of tourism resources，tourism infrastructure and service capability，tourism industries and projects. We propose four strategies to improve Beijing’s competitiveness in the global tourism market，specifically focusing on deeply exploiting Beijing’s cultural tourism resources，integrating tourism development among Beijing’s counties and districts，strengthening international branding and promotion，and upgrading tourism ecosystem for post-pandemic reopening.