CTD survey shows airport retail intent holds among Chinese travellers

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By Naomi Chadderton

Published on March 18, 2026

New research from China Trading Desk highlights a stable level of airport retail intent among Chinese outbound travellers, even as conversion challenges persist around price, product availability and time constraints.

According to CTD’s Q1 2026 China Outbound Travel Survey, 64.3% of travellers intend to shop in airport retail environments, a marginal decline of just 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. While overall near-term travel demand softened to 21.6%, the findings suggest that appetite for duty-free shopping remains resilient.

The report indicates that the key challenge for the sector is no longer demand, but conversion – particularly in the limited time window available in airport environments.

Higher-value travellers are identified as the most conversion-ready segment. High-net-worth individuals show airport retail propensity of 76.0%, while frequent travellers reach 71.8%. In contrast, first-time travellers lag significantly behind at 51.9%, highlighting the importance of targeting experienced and premium travellers to drive spend.

In terms of category demand, beauty leads duty-free purchase intent, followed by fashion and luxury accessories. Fragrances, souvenirs and fine food form a strong secondary tier, with CTD identifying beauty and fragrance as key drivers for conversion when supported by clear value messaging and visibility.

However, the survey reveals a persistent gap between intent and actual purchase. Among travellers who do not buy in duty free, 33% cite an inability to find desired brands or products, 28% point to high prices and 21% highlight a lack of time. These findings underline the continued importance of core retail fundamentals such as assortment, pricing and efficiency.

The research also shows that shopping decisions are increasingly shaped before travellers reach the airport. Travel apps, destination websites and the social platform Xiaohongshu play a central role in discovery and planning, suggesting that brands must engage consumers earlier in the journey to influence purchase behaviour.

Within the airport environment, price promotions and gifts with purchase remain the most effective activation tools, cited by 36% of respondents, followed by tastings and sampling at 27%. Staff interaction also continues to play a critical role, with more than three-quarters of travellers indicating that assistance influences their purchasing decisions.

Subramania Bhatt, Founder & CEO of China Trading Desk, said: “China outbound is no longer a simple rebound story for travel retail. Intent is there, but the close is harder. The winning brands will be the ones that build preference earlier, make value more legible, and remove the friction that still stops spend from landing.”

The report concludes that while travel retail remains well positioned to capture value from Chinese outbound travellers, success will depend on how effectively brands and operators connect pre-trip inspiration, planning and in-airport conversion into a seamless, end-to-end shopping journey.