Trending Now: China's Social Media Highlights #4August-10August#

Weibo

Reverse Travel for a Relaxed Summer More travellers are choosing “reverse tourism” to avoid crowds, embracing laid-back trips like drifting without paddling, bungee jumping, county-town escapes, and self-drive camping. Read more

Discrimination Reported at Serbian Customs A Chinese tourist claimed she was ignored at Belgrade airport customs while other travellers were prioritised. Despite this, Chinese arrivals to Serbia jumped 70% in 2024. Read more

Antarctic Tourism Draws Younger Chinese Once for wealthy retirees, Antarctic trips now see rising demand from post-95s and post-00s, with over 11,700 Chinese visitors in 2024–2025. Read more

Douyin

South Korea Opens Temporary Visa-Free Entry Starting 29 September 2025 until June 2026, Chinese group tourists can visit South Korea without a visa. In 2024, South Korea welcomed 16.37 million international visitors, including 4.6 million from China — making China its largest inbound market at 28.1%. Read more

Economic Growth Fuels Tourism Spending China’s GDP rose 5.3% in H1 2025, with more outbound travellers budgeting over 50,000 RMB for their trips. Read more

Xiaohongshu

Bali Boat Accident Kills Two Chinese Tourists A speedboat carrying 80 people capsized on 5 August, killing two Chinese nationals. Bali’s visa-free policy has driven a 25% rise in Chinese visitors. Read more

Women Travellers Choose Friend Getaways Young Chinese women, who make up most of the 56% female share in outbound tourism, often choose to travel with close friends for fun and photo-worthy moments. Read more 

Baidu

Young Shoppers Embrace Luxury Flash Sales Discount events are luring young Chinese buyers seeking style and savings, with flash sale growth outpacing full-price luxury sales. Read more

Zhihu

Business Travellers Share Memorable Cities From Japan to Europe, each trip offers unique experiences. As the world’s second-largest business travel market, China accounted for 25% of global business travel spending by mid-2024, and an impressive 62% of Asia-Pacific corporate travel expenditure. Read more