As China progresses through mid-2025, the outbound travel market continues to chart a strong recovery trajectory, evolving with renewed confidence and discernible shifts in consumer priorities. That is according to China Trading Desk (CTD) and its latest China Outbound Travel Sentiment Survey for Q2 2025. The survey reflects this ongoing transformation, capturing the “nuanced behaviours and motivations of a market steadily returning to pre-pandemic vibrancy”.

Outbound travel market rebounds, fueled by digitally-savvy newcomers prioritizing value-conscious luxury experiences over traditional status symbols.

As China progresses through mid-2025, the outbound travel market continues to chart a strong recovery trajectory, evolving with renewed confidence and discernible shifts in consumer priorities. That is according to China Trading Desk (CTD) and its latest China Outbound Travel Sentiment Survey for Q2 2025.

China's outbound tourism is back in full swing, but the real shift is in why. people are travelling and how they're deciding where to go, what to book, and what to buy.

Big city lights? Too dull, say bright-eyed Chinese travellers who prefer to dream of far-flung locales – areas more likely to drain their life alongside their bank account. And oh, what a thrill.

Teenagers in 2025 have grown up online, with digitized lives that seldom see a day without a screen. Combined with the booming wellness industry, that internet-overload has carved a new generation in search for “digital detox vacations,” with Gen Alpha growing up to be a key target consumer-base for luxury wellness retreats.

Chinese tourism to South Korea is picking up with the end of political instability in Seoul and the two nations pledging closer relations shortly before visa exemptions take effect, travel industry sources said this week.

These days, Shanghai-based banker Jason Zhang can no longer stay at the Westin hotel in downtown Beijing’s financial district after his company cut its travel budget. Instead, he had to settle for a cheaper domestic hotel chain.

The panel featured Anna Marchesini, Head of Business Development at m1nd-set; Subbu Bhatt, CEO and Founder of China Trading Desk; Tabea Palmer, Vice President of Retail Marketing at Fraport Group; and Lilly Choi-Lee, Executive General Manager at TravConsult.