For strategy leaders and decision-makers planning or expanding their footprint in China's travel market, the next wave of opportunity is already taking shape.
Here's what the data reveals—and where the opportunities lie.
Key Insights: China Travel Consumption Trends 2025
1. Holiday travel sees growth across the board
During major public holidays in 2025, China recorded simultaneous growth in trip volumes, total travel spending, and per-capita expenditure. A notable share of travelers spent beyond their original annual budgets, signaling a stronger willingness to pay for better holiday experiences. This reflects rising confidence in discretionary spending and increasingly impulse-driven demand within the travel market.
2. Destination choice shifts from “value for money” to “personal fulfillment”
Chinese travelers are no longer optimizing purely for price. Instead, destination selection is increasingly driven by emotional satisfaction and personal experience. Nearly 30% of travelers explicitly aim to avoid crowds, fueling the rise of niche destinations and off-peak travel. More than half now prefer in-depth exploration of a single destination, rather than multi-stop itineraries.
3. Outbound travel growth led by high-value travelers
China's outbound travel momentum is increasingly driven by high-value consumer segments, who favor multiple, themed international trips per year. For these travelers, outbound travel is no longer an occasional indulgence, but a recurring lifestyle choice.
China Travel Market Outlook: 2026
In February 2026, China will enter one of its most important travel seasons—the Spring Festival. What new opportunities are emerging?
Survey data suggests that the market is sending clear positive signals, with outbound travel accelerating its recovery.
1. Destination preferences: short-haul stabilizes, long-haul diversifies
Short-haul outbound travel (19.61%) remains highly concentrated in Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. Stable flight capacity, friendly visa policies, and mature tourism infrastructure align perfectly with Spring Festival travelers' priorities: reliability, convenience, and a strong festive atmosphere.
Long-haul outbound travel (10.11%) shows far greater diversity—from European cities and shopping hubs, to Middle Eastern and African heritage destinations, and onward to Nordic nature and polar experiences.
2. Travel styles: independent first, premium customization next
Independent travel has become the top choice across all age groups. At the same time, high-end customized travel (17.42%) has emerged as the second-most preferred travel mode, driven primarily by ultra-high-income travelers (annual income above RMB 500,000).
Among high-net-worth travelers, the combined intention for short-haul (42%) and long-haul outbound travel (38%) now significantly exceeds domestic inter-provincial travel (22%).
When facing complex itineraries or seeking “one-step-perfect” holiday experiences, they are willing to pay a clear premium for: complete peace of mind, absolute privacy, and highly personalized services tailored precisely to their interests.
Want deeper insights into China's travel market?
For more perspectives on emerging trends, structural shifts, and new opportunities, feel free to reach out at xenia@traveldaily.cn.
We'd be happy to walk you through how TravelDaily helps organizations gain value through trend intelligence, industry connections, and executive-level networking—and how we help you better understand a rapidly evolving China travel market.
TravelDaily 2026 Events Preview
In 2026, TravelDaily will host a series of influential industry events, bringing together leading travel enterprises and seasoned practitioners from across China and the global travel ecosystem to share hands-on insights into the latest developments in leisure and business travel.
> Flagship Event: 2026 TravelDaily Conference
Date: September 22–23, 2026 (Tuesday & Wednesday)
Venue: Shanghai International Convention Center
Exhibition and Breakout Forums:
· Exhibition: China Digital Travel Show, featuring Business Travel and Travel Tech (September 22–23)
· Breakout Forum 1: China Hotel Marketing Conference (September 23)
· Breakout Forum 2: China Business Travel Conference (September 23)
> Regional Event: 2026 TravelDaily Digital Intelligence Conference
· Shanghai Edition: Thursday, April 2, 2026
· Beijing Edition: Thursday, May 21, 2026
· Shenzhen Edition: Thursday, July 2, 2026
> Award Event：2026 Digital Travel Awards
Case Submission: February 26 - June 30
Innovation Awards: Honoring product and marketing innovation across the global travel industry.
We look forward to welcoming you and unlocking more opportunities in China's travel market together.
