2026年中国游客情绪报告：变化世界中的旅行价值 THE VALUE OF TRAVEL IN A CHANGING WORLD Chinese Traveler Sentiment Report

THEVALUEOFTRAVEL

INACHANGINGWORLD

ChineseTravelerSentimentReport

Photo:CharlieJiang,Unsplash

DragonTrailResearchApril2026

DragonTrailResearch

ChineseTravelerSentimentReport

Introduction:Inachangingworld,travelstilloffersrespitefromtheeveryday,through

freshexperiences,landscapes,andcultures

MuchhaschangedintheworldsinceDragonTrail’slastChineseTravelerSentimentReport,publishedinSeptember2025.Severaldevelopmentsinparticularhave

impactedChineseoutboundtourism.Thefalloutfromadiplomaticincidentin

November2025hashalvedflightcapacityfromChinatoJapan–whichhadbeenridinghighasthetopinternationaldestinationforChinesetravelersforsometime.TourismtotheMiddleEast–arapidlygrowingnewhotspot–suddenlycametoa

standstillinMarch2026aftertheoutbreakofwarintheregion.

HowareChineseconsumersreactingtotheseevents?OurlatestChineseTraveler

SentimentSurvey,conductedbetween16-20March2026,with1,038respondents,offersanswers.Outboundtravelintentionhassoftenedcomparedtolastyear,butitremainshigherthanin2024.Trendslikelongertrips,increasedspendingon

experiences,andthesubstantialinfluenceofChinesesocialmediaplatformslikeRedNoteonoutboundtravelinspirationandplanningareallstillgoingstrong.

TheIranwarhasalreadyhadamajorimpactonChinesetravelers’plans,andsafetyperceptionsforGulfcountrieshavefallensignificantly.Japan,usuallyperceivedas

arelatively“safe”traveldestinationbyChineseconsumers,hasdroppedtoitslowestsafetyratingsinceChinaliftedCOVID-erarestrictionsoninternationaltravel.

However,Japanremainsfirmlyinthetop10listoftraveldestinations,withsurvey

respondentsstillinspiredtovisitthroughsocialmediacontent.Atthesametime,

Thailandismakingacomeback,recoveringatlastfrompoorsafetyperceptionsoverthepastfewyears.Vietnam’ssafetyratinghasalsoimproved,andweseegrowing

intentiontotraveltoSoutheastAsia.

Amidthestressesofworldeventsandeverydaylife,Chineseconsumersareseekingrelaxationasacentralmotivationfortravel–it’sthetopreasonsurveyrespondentsgavefortravelingoutboundduringtheupcomingMayLaborDayholiday.Inthis

report,we’veincludedadeepdiveonwellnesstraveltoexplorethisthemefurther–lookingintowhatkindsofwellnessandsports-relatedactivitiesaremostindemandamongChinesetravelers,whoisseekingtheseexperiences,why,andwhatthey’rewillingtopayforthem.

China’soutboundtravelmarketishighlysafetyconscious,butalsoresilientand

lookingfornewadventures.Wehopethisreportwillprovevaluabletoglobaltravel

brandsinunderstandingwhatChinesetravelersareseeking,whatmostinspiresthem,andhowtheywillbeplanningandbookingtheirnextoutboundtrips.

TianaTian

MarketResearchAnalyst

JaniceMeng

MarketResearchAnalyst

SiennaParulis-Cook

DirectorofMarketingandCommunications

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Chinesetravelersurveyfindings:

Our6toptakeawaysfromthereport

1)Mayholidaywillbringlonger,regionaltrips

24%ofrespondentswhointendedtotakeanoutboundtripin2026saidthey

plannedtodosoduringtheMayLaborDayholiday(1-5May).Mosttripswillbe

intra-regional,withSouthKorea,Macau,Thailand,andHongKongthetop

destinations.Closetohalf(44%)ofrespondentsplantotakeextraleavetoextendtheirholiday,with33%expectingtotravelfor6–10days,and11%planningto

travelformorethan10days.

2)Destinationpreferencesandsafetyrankingsshowmajorshifts

ThailandisexperiencingastrongcomebackamongChinesetouriststhisyear,withimprovingsafetyratings,aboostinthepercentageofsurveyrespondentswho

plantotraveltherefortheMayholiday,andgreatertravelerintentiontovisit

SoutheastAsia.Incontrast,theimpactofChina’straveladvisoryforJapanis

reflectedinasharpdeclineinpublicperceptionaboutJapan’ssafetyasatraveldestination.Withtheoutbreakofwarintheregion,safetyrankingsandtravel

intentionfortheMiddleEastbothsawconsiderabledrops.

3)TheIranwarhasalreadyhadaprofoundimpactonChinesetravelplans

Surveyrespondentsidentifiedtheinternationalsecuritysituationasthetopfactor

influencingtheiroutboundtraveldecisions.43%ofsurveyrespondents’travelplanshavealreadybeenimpactedbytheIranwar,andweseesofteningtravel

intentiontonearlyallworldregions.Two-thirds(65%)saidthewarhadsignificantlydecreasedtheirwillingnesstotraveltotheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica.

Understandably,thisimpactismostpronouncedintheshort-term.

4)Chinesetravelersplantoincreasespendingonexperiences

Overhalf(56%)ofChineseoutboundtravelerssaytheyareplanningtoincreasespendingonactivitiesandexperiences,with49%planningtoincreasespendingondining.Youngtravelersaged18-24showedastrongerintentiontoincreasespendingacrossallcategories–includingshoppingandaccommodation–

comparedtotravelersfromotheragegroups.

5)Socialmediacontent–especiallynaturalscenery–inspiresChinesetravelers

RedNote(Xiaohongshu)remainsthetopsourceofoutboundtravelinformation,chosenby53%ofrespondentsinthissurvey.FollowingcloselyareDouyin,and

OTAslikeCtrip.Chinesetravelerssaidtheywereinspiredbysocialmediatovisitawiderangeofplaces,withcontentfeaturingnaturalscenerythemostinfluential.

6)RelaxationandstressreliefareChinesetravelers’topwellnessgoals

ThemajorityofChinesetravelersareopentointegratingsomewellness

experiencesintotheirtrips,especiallywiththegoalofrelaxationandstressrelief.Spaandhotspringexperiences,andnature-basedhealingactivitiesaremost

popular.Mostsurveyrespondentssaytheyarewillingtopayalimitedpremiumtoaddwellnessactivitiesintotheirtravelexperience.

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2026Travel

InearlyMarch,DragonTrailsurveyedChinesetravelers’interest

andpreferencesforoutboundtravelin2026.Whileinterestin

internationaltravelhassoftenedslightlycomparedtospring2025,itremainshigherthanin2024.Theinternationalsecuritysituationisnowthetopfactorinfluencingdestinationchoices.Looking

aheadtotheMayDayholiday,oursurveyfindingsrevealkey

insightsintotravelcompanions,budgets,tripduration,andwhyChineseconsumersarechoosingtotraveloutbound.

PhotobyArtemKorolev,Unsplash

DragonTrailResearch

ChineseTravelerSentimentReport

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72%ofChinesetravelersexpressinterestintravelingoutboundthisyear

Asofmid-March,4%ofsurveyrespondentshadalreadytakenanoutboundtripin2026,andanother23%hadbookedtheirfirstoutboundjourneyoftheyear.

Comparedwithlastyear,overalloutboundtravelinterestin2026hassoften

slightly,from75%inspring2025to72%thisyear,thoughitremainshigherthan

duringthesameperiodin2024.Inthefollowingpages,wewilltakeacloserlookatwherethesetravelershavegone,whatfactorsinfluencetheiroutboundtraveldecisions,andtheoutlookforthe2026MayLaborDayholiday.

Whatareyour2026outboundtravelplans?

N=1038

31%

31%ofthe1,038survey

respondentstraveled

outboundin2025

86%

86%ofthe36respondentswhohadalreadytraveledutsideofmainlandChinain026stillplantotravelmore

Idefinitelywon'ttravel

outsidemainland

Chinain2026

8%

I'mnotsureifI'll

traveloutbound

thisyear

20%

I'vealready

traveled

outboundin2026

4%

Ihavean

outboundtrip

bookedfor2026

23%

Ihaveplans/hope

totraveloutbound

thisyearbuthaven't

bookedyet

45%

o2

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SouthKoreatopsvisiteddestinations,andIcelandentersthetopfiveinspring2026

AmongsurveyedChinesetravelerswhohadalreadytraveledoutboundin

2026bymid-March,SouthKoreawasthemostvisiteddestination,followedbyMacao,JapanandThailand.Icelandonceagainmadeitintothetoprankingofvisiteddestinations.Frombeingontravelers'wishliststomakingitintothe

top10in2025,Icelandhasnowreachedthetopfive–albeitwithasmall

samplesize.NewZealand,similartothesameperiodlastyear,remainsamongthemostpopulardestinations.

Destinationsofrecentoutboundtravelin2026

N=36

%

Visited1

%

Repeat

visit

#1

SouthKorea

83.3%

16.7%

#2Macao13.9%80.0%

=#3

Japan

8.3%

33.3%

=#3

Thailand8.3%100.0%

=#5

Iceland

5.6%

0.0%

=#5

HongKong

5.6%

0.0%

=#5

NewZealand

5.6%

0.0%

1Destinationvisitedonrespondent’smostrecentoutboundtripbyMarch2026

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InternationalsecuritymoststronglyinfluencesChinesetravelers'outboundtraveldecisions

WhatinfluencesChinesetravelers’choiceofoutbounddestinations?Surveyrespondentsidentifiedtheinternationalsecuritysituationasthetopfactor,

with85%sayingithasextremeorsignificantimpactontheiroutboundtraveldecisions.Personalfinancialsituationisthesecondmostinfluentialfactor,

extremelyorsignificantlyimpacting76%ofsurveyedChinesetravelers’

outboundtraveldecisions.Travelcostsandwork-lifearrangementsarethe

othertwokeyinfluencingfactors,chosenby71%and70%ofsurveyed

respondents,respectively,ashavinganextremeorsignificantimpactontheirdestinationchoices.

Howdothefollowingfactorsinfluenceyour2026outboundtravelchoices?

N=1038

Extremeimpact

Significantimpact

Moderateimpact

Slightimpact

Noimpact

Internationalsecuritysituation

62%23%

Personalfinancialsituation

38%38%

Travelcosts

31%40%

Work-lifearrangements

33%37%

Visapolicy

24%38%

Flightandtransportation

24%38%

Natural&culturalresourcesofthedestination

23%38%

Attractivenessoftravelproducts

21%37%

Recommendationsbyfriendsorfamily

16%37%

Exchangerate

14%33%

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SummervacationandOctober’sNationalDayarethepeakoutboundtravelperiodsin2026

Weaskedsurveyrespondentswhohaveoutboundtravelplansabouttheir

intendedoutboundtravelwindowoverthenext12months.Theresultsare

similartolastyear(ChineseTravelerSentimentReport,April2025).Summer

vacationandtheNationalDayholidayinOctoberarethepeaktravel

periods,eachchosenby50%ofsurveyedChineseoutboundtravelers.The

MayLaborDayholidayisanotherpeakperiod,with24%ofrespondents

planningtotraveloutboundduringthattime.Onthenextpage,wewilldiveintothetopdestinationsandtravelplansforthe2026Mayholiday.

Whendoyouplantotraveloutbound

inthenext12months?(N=743)

ChineseNew

Year2027,13%Mid-Autumn

Festival,11%NewYear2027,8%

AprilMayJuneJuly-

August

SeptemberOctoberJanuaryFebruary

Summer

vacation,50%

NationalDayholiday,50%

Mayholiday,24%

DragonBoatFestival,9%

QingmingFestival,6%

5%oftravelerschosetotraveloutboundatothertimessuchasweekendsandoff-peakseasons.

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SouthKoreatakesthetopspotfor2026’sMayLaborDayholiday

AmongsurveyedChinesetravelerswhohaveoutboundtravelplansforthe

2026Mayholiday,SouthKoreaisthemostpopulardestination,chosenby

16.3%ofrespondents.Afterrankingasthetopdestinationforthe2025NationalDayholidayinourlastsentimentsurvey(September2025),ithasagaintaken

thetopspot.Macaoisthesecondmostpopulardestination.Thailandhas

seenamoderaterebound,with9%ofrespondentsplanningtovisit,comparedto5%duringthe2025NationalDayholidayinourlastsentimentsurvey.In

contrast,thepercentageofChinesetravelerschoosingtovisitJapanfellfrom9.5%to5.1%overthesamecomparisonperiod.

2026MayDayholiday:

Outboundtraveldestinations

N=178

%

Booked/

plantovisit

%

Repeat

visit

#1

SouthKorea16.3%27.6%

#2

Macao

10.7%

42.1%

#3

Thailand

9.0%

18.8%

#4

HongKong

6.7%

41.7%

#5

Japan

5.1%

44.4%

=#6

Australia

4.5%

25.0%

=#6

Singapore

4.5%

50.0%

#8

Malaysia

3.4%

33.3%

=#9

Maldives

2.8%

0.0%

=#9

NewZealand

2.8%

20.0%

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OverhalfofChineseoutboundtravelerswillgowiththeirpartner/spousefortheMayholiday

WhichcompanionsaresurveyrespondentstravelingwiththisMayLaborDay?Partner/spouseisthetopchoice,selectedby54%ofrespondents.Friends

comenextat42%.Meanwhile,23%oftravelersplantobringtheirchildrenalong,followedbytravelingwithparents(22%).Itisworthnotingthat5%ofrespondentsintendtotravelwiththeirpets–atrendsupportedbythefactthatsomeairlineshaveintroducedpet-friendlycabinpolicies.

2026MayDayholiday:

Outboundtravelcompanions

N=178

54%

42%

23%

22%

10%

10%

5%

Withmypartner/spouse WithfriendsWithmychildren WithparentsSolo

WithcolleaguesWithmypets

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44%ofrespondentsplantotakeextraleavetoextendtheirMayLaborDayholiday

WeaskedsurveyedChineseoutboundtravelersabouttheirintendedtravel

durationforthe2026MayLaborDayholiday(1–5May).Themostcommon

choicewas3–5days,selectedby48%ofrespondents.Notably,44%of

respondentsplantotakeextraleavetoextendtheirholiday,with33%expectingtotravelfor6–10days,and11%planningtotravelformorethan10days.

AsfortheirtotaloutboundtravelbudgetduringtheMayholiday,RMB10,000–

20,000(US$1,465–2,930)perpersonisthemostcommonrange,chosenby28%ofrespondents.Notably,15%ofrespondentshavebudgetsoverRMB50,000

(US$7,325)perpersonfortheMayholiday,with7%ofsurveyedoutboundtravelershavingbudgetsaboveRMB100,000(US$14,650).

2026MayLaborDayholiday:

Outboundtravelduration

N=178

48%

33%

1-2days3-5days6-10days>10days

11%

7%

2026MayLaborDayholiday:

Outboundtraveltotalbudget1perperson(RMB)

N=178

28%

14%11%

10-20k20-30k30-50k50-100k>100k

24%

5-10k

8%

<5k

8%7%

1Includinginternationalflights,accommodation,andlocalexpenses

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Relaxationandleisureisthetopoutboundtravelpurposeforthe2026Mayholiday

Relaxationandleisureisthetoptravelpurposeforthe2026MayLaborDay

holiday,chosenby40%ofsurveyedChineseoutboundtravelers.Tastingexoticcuisine(29%)rankssecond,closelyfollowedbyenjoyingnaturalscenery(28%)andexperiencinglocalculturesandhistory(28%).

2026MayLaborDayholiday:

Outboundtravelpurpose

N=178

Relaxationandleisure,40%

Tastingexoticcuisine,29%

Enjoyingnaturalscenery,28%

Experiencelocalculturesandhistory,28%Citysightseeing,23%

Visitingfamousattractionsorlandmarks,22%Spendingqualitytimewithfamily/friends,20%Shopping,17%

Island/beachvacation,15%

Revisitingfavoritecountries/destinations,10%Festivalsorperformances/sportingevents,9%Spiritualhealing,9%

Exploringoff-the-beaten-pathdestinations,8%Educational/learningtrips,8%

Wellness&healthretreats,7%

Sportsandoutdooractivities,5%

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Destinations

Alotcanchangeinjustafewmonths.Responses

tooursurveyquestionsaboutdestinationpreferencesandsafetyperceptionsrevealsignificantshiftsfor

regionaloutboundtravel,aswellastheimmediateimpactoftheconflictintheMiddleEast.

PhotobyScottTaylor,Unsplash

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Overallinterestinoutboundtraveltomostdestinationshassoftenedsincelastyear

Comparedtooneyearprevious,consumersindicatedlessinterestintravelingtomostworldregions.SoutheastAsia,whichhadseendecliningscores

throughout2025,isthebiggestexception,witha0.08pointincreasesincelastspringand0.11increasesinceSeptember2025.SouthAsiaistheotherregionwithanimprovedscore.Theorderofthedestinationpreferencelistremains

nearlyunchanged,exceptfortheMiddleEast,whichdroppedfrom7thplaceto10th,withadecreaseof.40points.

Howinterestedareyouintravelingtothese

areasoftheworld?(N=1038)vs.2025Spring

3.640.18

Europe

3.640.23

NortheastAsia

3.450.08

SoutheastAsia

3.220.03

SouthAsia

2.460.12

CentralAsia

2.840.22

Oceania

2.410.13

LatinAmerica

2.750.19

NorthAmerica

2.390.40

MiddleEast

2.710.13

Antarctica

2.230.04

Africa

*Averagescorebetween1-5,with5beingextremelyinterested

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Destinationsafetyrankingshavebeen

significantlyimpactedbygeopolitics

ManydestinationshaveseenbigchangestotheirsafetyperceptionssinceourSeptember2025survey.IntheMiddleEast,safetyrankingsfortheUAEand

SaudiArabiahaveseensignificantdecreases–thoughEgypt’ssafetyscore

stayedstable.JapanhassufferedanevenbiggerdeclinethantheGulf

countries,goingfrom57%tojust37%“safe”,andfrom16%to34%“unsafe”inhalfayear.Ontheotherhand,Thailandhasmoveduptherankingsbysevenplaces,withits“unsafe”ratingimprovingfrom48%tojust34%.Australiaand

mostEuropeandestinationsalsosawimprovedsafetyrankingssincelastyear.

Howsafeisittotraveltothefollowingdestinations?

Safetyrankingvs.Sep.2025

92%80%

65%

62%

59%

57%

56%

54%47%

46%

43%

37%29%

29%43%

29%42%

27%38%

27%33%

26%43%

23%36%

23%33%

22%39%

22%41%

21%35%

21%39%

21%43%

18%44%

11%21%

SafeUnsure

HongKongSingaporeSwitzerland AustraliaMaldives

UKCanada FranceRussia

Italy Spain JapanMexico ChileThailand

USA BrazilKazakhstan VietnamUAE

EgyptSaudiArabia Kenya GeorgiaOman

Cambodia

34%28%28%

34%40%

31%41%

43%

39%

37%

43%

40%

36%

38%

67%

Unsafe

27%

29%

29%

31%

33%

33%31%

39%

42%

8%

9%

12%

11%

12%

13%

22%

15%

15%

7%1%

17%3%

New

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TheIranconflicthasshakenconsumer

confidenceandinterestintheMENAregion

SeveralweeksafterthestartoftheIranconflict,Chinesetravelers’confidenceintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica(MENA)regionwasdeeplyimpacted.Two-thirds(65%)saidthewarhadsignificantlydecreasedtheirwillingnesstotraveltotheregion.Understandably,theimpactismostpronouncedintheshort-

term.Although57%saidtheywouldn’tconsidertraveltoMENAinthenextthreemonths,thisdropsto19%forthenext1-3years.

WillingnesstotraveltotheMiddleEastandNorth

Africa(MENA)duringthefollowingtimeperiods

N=1038

Withinthe

next3months

Withinthe

next6months

Withinthenext1year

Withinthe

next1–3years

Lookingforwardto traveling

9%

15%

23%

35%

Wouldnotconsider

57%

48%

36%

19%

Considercautiously

28%

29%

31%

31%

Notsure

7%

9%

11%

15%

HastherecentsituationintheMiddleEastaffectedyourwillingnesstotraveltotheregion?N=1038

65%

IthassignificantlydecreasedmyoverallwillingnesstotraveltotheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica

31%

Ithassomeimpact;Iwouldbemorecautiousabouttravelingtocertaindestinations

2%

Ithaslittleimpactonme

1%

Notsure/Notfamiliarwiththesituation

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43%ofsurveyrespondents’travelplanshavealreadybeenimpactedbytheIranwar

57%ofsurveyrespondentssaidthattherecentsituationintheMiddleEasthadnothadanyimpactontheirtravelplans.Morethanone-quarter(26%)said

theywerenowtakingawait-and-seeapproachtowardsfutureplansfortraveltotheMENAregion,withafurther7%havingcanceledanalready-booked

tripwithinthreeweeksofthewar’soutbreak.4%saidtheyhadatriptothe

regionbookedandwerestillconsideringwhethertocancel,andanother3%hadtraveltoanotherworldregiondisruptedbecauseoftheimpactofthe

conflictonflights.2%saidtheyhadalreadyswitchedtheirMENAtripplanstoanewdestination.

HastherecentsituationintheMiddleEastaffected

yourtravelplans?(N=1038)

Icurrentlyhavenorelatedtravelplans/havenot

beenaffected,57%

IhadplannedtotraveltoMENAbutamcurrentlytakingawait-and-seeapproach,26%

IhadalreadybookedatriptoMENAbuthavecanceledit,7%

IhadalreadybookedatriptoMENAandamconsideringwhethertocancel,4%

43%

Ihadbookedorplannedtraveltootherregions(e.g.,EuropeorAfrica)butwasaffectedduetoflightcancellationsoradjustments,3%

IhadplannedtotraveltoMENAbuthaveswitchedtoanotherdestination,2%

IwastravelinginMENAatthetime,1%

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SafetyandstabilitywillbekeytoattractingChinesetravelersbacktotheMiddleEast

WeaskedsurveyrespondentswhatitwouldtaketomakethemmorewillingtoconsidertravelingtotheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica.Unsurprisingly,the

majority(75%)saidthatthelocalsituationwouldneedtostabilize,with

significantlyimprovedoverallsafety.Consumerswillalsobelookingto

destinationsandthetravelindustrytosupportwithadditionalsecurity

measures,includingprovidingsafetyinformation(39%)andimprovedChinese-languageservicesandemergencysupport(38%).

Underwhatcircumstanceswouldyoubemore

willingtoconsidertravelingtotheMiddleEastand

NorthAfrica?(N=1038)

Amorestablelocalsituationandsignificantlyimprovedoverallsafety,75%

Clearsafetyinformationprovidedbytravelagenciesordestinations,39%

ImprovedChinese-languageservicesandemergencysupport,38%

Moreconvenientdirectflightsorflightconnections,26%

Attractivetravelpackagesorpromotionaloffers,26%

Morerelaxedvisarequirements,22%

Recommendationsfromfriendsorfamilywhohavevisited,21%

Seeingmoretravelexperiencesharingonsocialmedia,19%

Morepositivetravelinformationorrecommendations,19%

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TravelBehavior

WhatarethecharacteristicsofChinesetourists'travel

behaviorin2026,particularlyintermsofwherethey

spendmore,whatinspiresthemtotravelandhowtheybook?OurresearchhighlightsexperientialconsumptionasapriorityforChineseoutboundtravelers.Wealso

continuetotrackthetopchannelsfortravelinformationandbooking,withadeep-diveonhowsocialmedia

inspiresChinesetravelers’destinationwishlists.

PhotobyTansuTopuzoğluonUnsplash

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Chinesetravelers,especiallyyounggenerations,areshiftingtowardsexperientialconsumption

Weaskedrespondentswithpreviousoutboundtravelexperiencehowthey

plannedtoadjusttheirtravelspendingfortheirnextoutboundtrips.Surveyedtravelersexhibitedashifttowardsexperience-ledconsumption,withoverhalf(56%)planningtoincreasespendingonactivitiesandexperiences,and49%planningtoincreasespendingondining.Youngtravelersaged18-24showedastrongerintentiontoincreasespendingacrossallcategoriescomparedtotravelersfromotheragegroups(seeAppendixAfordetaileddata).Fewer

thanone-thirdofrespondentsplannedtoincreasespendingon

accommodation(31%)ortransportation(international:29%;local:27%).

Foryournextoutboundtrip,howdoyouexpecttochangeyourspendinginthefollowingcategories?

N=493

DecreaseNochangeIncrease

Activities&experiences

Dining

Shopping

Accommodation

Internationaltransportation

Localtransportation

6%

4%

19%

5%

7%

8%

47%

49%

42%

29%

27%

39%

39%

31%

56%

66%

65%

64%

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RedNoteremainstheleadinginformationsource,whileoldertravelersrelymoreonwordofmouthandtravelagencies

Consistentwiththeresultsofourprevioussurveys,RedNote(Xiaohongshu)remainsthe

topsourceofoutboundtravelinformation,chosenby53%ofrespondentsinthissurvey.

FollowingcloselyareDouyin(48%),anothersocialmediaplatform,aswellasonlinetravelplatformssuchasCtrip(42%).Whilefriends,familyandacquaintancesareanimportantinformationsourceforallagegroups(39%),thesepersonalrecommendationsare

particularlyinfluentialamongtravelersaged45-65(49%;seeAppendixB).Travel

agenciesandtourguidesareanotherwidelyusedchannelamongthisagegroup(36%).

Chinesetravelers:Channelsusedfor

outboundtravelinformation(N=1038)

RedNote/Xiaohongshu

Douyin

Onlinetravelplatforms(e.g.,Ctrip)

Friends,family,acquaintancesTourismboards’/embassies’officialchannelsWeChat

Travelagencies/tourguides

Bilibili

Overseassocialmediaplatforms

DianpingAirlineorhotelofficialwebsites/accountsDestinationbusinesseswebsites/accountsWeibo

AIchatbots(e.g.,ChatGPT,Doubao)

Searchengines(e.g.,Baidu)Kuaishou

Mafengwo

53%

48%

42%

39%

30%

27%

27%

23%

23%

22%

21%

21%

19%

19%

18%

11%

12%

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Chinesetravelersareinspiredbysocialmediatoexplorediversedestinationsfortheir

scenery,leisure,culture,andconvenience

Whenaskedwhichoutbounddestinationstheyweremostinspiredtovisitonsocial

media,Chinesetravelersmentionedawiderangeofplaces,fromAsiandestinationssuchastheMaldivesandJapantomoredistantonessuchasIceland,NewZealand,andevenAntarctica.Naturalsceneryi