Chinese travellers and the rising appeal of the Middle East

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By TMDR

Published November, 2025

We present the latest highlights from China Trading Desk’s Outbound Travel Survey with a focus on Middle East-bound Chinese travellers.

As China’s outbound travel surges past pre-pandemic benchmarks, the Middle East is emerging not just as a destination, but as a cultural and commercial corridor for a new generation of Chinese travellers — digitally led, value-driven, and surprisingly decisive at the duty-free shelf.

According to the latest China Trading Desk Outbound Travel Survey, 51% of Middle East-bound Chinese travellers plan to travel within the next six months, with over 70% budgeting more than RMB 10,000 ($1,400) per trip . This is not a low-intent leisure cohort — it’s a strategic consumer segment whose retail behaviours are shaped well before departure, and activated in full at the terminal.

A New Shopper Is Boarding

This emerging traveller profile is distinct: over 60% are under 34, 42% travel with family, and nearly half (42%) prefer “Free & Easy” itineraries — the independent travel mode that grants full control over discovery and downtime . With compressed booking windows (76% book within a month of departure), DF&TR operators must move beyond traditional advance-purchase models and embrace a new normal: discovery happens upstream, but decision-making often begins on the tarmac.

That spontaneity is not without structure. Pre-departure research is high (79% across the board), with Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and travel apps like Ctrip playing dominant roles . For Middle East-specific routes, these platforms become both brand discovery engines and purchase intention accelerators.

What Drives the Trolley

Price parity with e-commerce (and perception of it) remains a critical trigger — 97% of Middle East travellers compare duty-free pricing with online before buying . Authenticity and exclusivity, especially in gifting formats, are core motivations. The highest conversion levers? Personalisation, sampling, and human interaction. Indeed, these travellers are twice as likely to convert when prompted with in-terminal engagement, suggesting a hybrid purchase path: online inspiration → in-store confirmation → terminal conversion.

Beauty and fashion categories remain dominant, but the channel mix is widening. Airport-only bundles, influencer-curated gift sets, and “scan & buy” digital concierge tools are particularly well-received. Interestingly, peer recommendations play a larger role in this cohort than in Europe-bound segments — reinforcing the need for KOL-driven campaigns not just online, but within the travel environment itself.

Five Strategic Levers for DF&TR in the Middle East

1. Start Early, Convert Late: Seed destination-relevant offers via Douyin and Xiaohongshu 4–6 weeks before peak travel, and retarget closer to departure via WeChat Mini Programs.

2. Bundle for the Gifter: More than other cohorts, Middle East-bound travellers cite “gifting” as a DF motivator. Curated gift sets (beauty, local delicacies, high-utility souvenirs) should lead the merchandising strategy.

3. Price Transparency Tools: 97% comparison rate demands active communication — QR-led price match, “RMB equivalent” displays, and visible “cheaper than e-commerce” signage are conversion assets, not margin risks.

4. People Over Product: In-terminal staff training must evolve. Interactive sampling and guided concierge experiences convert better than static displays. Train staff to narrate not just benefits, but stories.

5. Content for Context: Influencer itineraries that integrate shopping (not as a chore, but a highlight) resonate best. Think: “3 Days in Dubai — Eat, Explore, and Shop Like a Local”.

Final Boarding Call

The Middle East is no longer a fringe itinerary — it’s a frontline for cultural exchange and commercial opportunity. For the travel retail sector, the challenge is clear: capture the imagination upstream, deliver relevance in-terminal, and build loyalty post-arrival. This generation of Chinese traveller is ready to buy, but only if you meet them on their terms, in their timeline, and on their platforms.