Chinese Travellers

A collaborative research project by DONG Luxury Collection and Dragon Trail, the Luxury Travel Trends in China White Paper provides a comprehensive analysis of China's luxury travel market, based on surveys and interviews with HNWIs, travel agents, and hospitality partners.

Despite differences and disagreements on the issue of the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines wants more Chinese tourists to visit and experience the country’s beauty, culture and warm welcome that Filipinos are known for.

Korean retailers have made the most of the early May holiday period, as their sales soared with a massive flock of foreign tourists visiting the country. Accord

Pre-World Cup 2026, we dissect China’s growing appetite for soccer style, from Adidas’ Shanghai flea market to local brands.

”Lying flat”, or Tang Ping, is a concept that started to become popular around 2021 in China.

According to preliminary figures released by Macau’s Public Security Police Force, there were more than 630,000 visitor arrivals over the

101 million Chinese outbound passengers returning in 2026. And 55% of them finding airport shopping less appealing than before.
Both things are true at the same time. That's what makes this moment interesting.

m1nd-set just released their Chinese outbound travel forecast and the number of Chinese passengers coming back is exhilarating.
But the Chinese traveller coming back has different views about shopping now.

🔸 45% have already decided what they want before they reach the terminal - researching on Chinese social platforms, not in the store. 
🔸 More than 1 in 5 feel Duty Free just doesn't offer the exclusives it once did.

That's a meaningful shift in a shopper who was once among the most valuable in the world for the global travel retail industry.

On where they're headed - regional Asia dominates.

Japan leads with 8.6 million arrivals, followed by South Korea and Thailand. Malaysia is the only top ten destination expected to exceed pre-Covid levels. Long-haul destinations are lagging - the US sits at just 43% recovery.

For the Middle East - 53% of Chinese travellers visiting the region still prefer shopping abroad over shopping at home. Higher than the global average of 49%.

The shopping appetite still persists, but needs to be approached  differently now.
Here are three things that stand out: 
Reach them before they fly. Chinese social platforms are where purchase decisions are being made - long before the terminal. If we're not in that conversation early, we've already lost the moment.

Make exclusivity mean something again. Unlike most other markets, China already has multiple duty free e-commerce apps giving shoppers access to duty free pricing at home. Limited editions and travel retail firsts are the one thing those platforms simply can't replicate which is an advantage for GTR. Of course the turf wars between domestic and GTR teams on who should control the e commerce is an ongoing internal debate across organizations.

Rebuild value perception. GTR-only offers that make it genuinely feel worth it. Chinese shoppers feel the difference immediately.
The recovery is real and the opportunity is large.
If we approach it smartly, there is a lot to gain.
Curious what others in the industry are thinking about this.
#TravelRetail #DutyFree #ChineseOutbound #GlobalTravelRetail #MiddleEast
Image Courtesy- AI

The Philippines’ land-based gaming industry is in the midst of its most challenging period in many years. Gaming regulator PAGCOR

Luxury spending in China is not dead — it's recalibrating. Bain projects that recovery will continue gaining momentum through 2026, with high-performing categories like beauty already leading the way.

🚨 China launched a nationwide crackdown on “wealth flaunting” on social media.
Look at this image: a glamorous influencer in a sparkling gold dress, surrounded by stacks of cash, luxury handbags, and gold bars… while police officers are right there documenting everything.
This is the new reality in China. 😆
End of Scammers... dream Sellers...

All these KOL and creators who loved showcasing luxury cars, designer brands, lavish vacations, and opulent lifestyles have started disappearing from platforms like Douyin, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu. Accounts blocked. Content removed.

The Chinese government calls this a threat to social harmony and national values. They’re pushing “common prosperity” instead of content that highlights extreme wealth gaps especially at a time when many young people are facing economic pressure. #socialmedia #wealth #China
As a marketer who helps brands navigate the China market, here’s my take:
This move signals a clear shift in what’s acceptable online. The era of pure “flex culture” is under heavy scrutiny. Brands and influencers need to be much more careful with aspirational content. Authenticity, humility, and content that resonates with the broader society are becoming the new safe (and smart) play.
What does this mean for your brand strategy in China?
🔍 Tone down overt luxury displays
🔍Focus on relatable value and shared prosperity
🔍Build content that aligns with national priorities

Brand Awareness doesn’t travel across Chinese Firewall

Don’t overestimate your popularity outside China
Don’t underestimate how much Chinese consumers don’t care about Instagram

#china #xiaohongshu #rednote #wechat #douyin #tmall

Local governments in China are offering marathon runners, AI experts and tennis players subsidies to purchase unwanted properties amid a lingering real estate downturn.

Hainan, China's duty-free answer to Hong Kong or Tokyo, is back. But let's remain grounded.

As the Bloomberg article below lays out, 2026 will be a strong recovery year for the island's duty-free market — but don't read too much into the 44.8% January jump. That number is artificially inflated by Chinese New Year falling in January this year, and the broader rebound is coming off a low 2025 base. In absolute terms, the market remains well below its pandemic peak.

What has changed:

1️⃣ The quality of demand has shifted. During the pandemic, HNWIs and luxury VICs who couldn't travel abroad flocked to Hainan. Today, the island welcomes far fewer ultra-high spenders, with growth coming from mid-tier consumption. Policy is doing the heavy lifting — vouchers, expanded allowances, easier access for local shoppers — and that support isn't going away. Hainan is strategic, and Beijing is expected to keep pulling these levers.

2️⃣ For luxury, Hainan is a read on demand, not a driver of it. It helps at the margin, but it doesn't replace Chinese spending abroad or offset broader softness.

3️⃣ For beauty, Hainan is mission-critical — one of the most important travel retail markets globally. For global beauty brands, the recovery isn't just stabilizing the business, it's one of the few places driving growth right now.

Hainan is one of the rare levers where policy can directly stimulate premium consumption. But it can't manufacture demand. Without consumer confidence, the upside remains capped.

#China #Luxury #Beauty #TravelRetail #Hainan #Market #Growth | 34 comments on LinkedIn

Chinese luxury travel market sees significant growth

The number of Chinese visitors to Korea this year is expected to reach 7 million. This outlook is attributed to multiple favorable factors such as the

Thrilled to share this 520 playbook. Had the pleasure to speak with Ye Zhang Cyanhill Capital 青山资本, Danni Liu iBLUE GROUP, Aslada Gu Gusto Collective and Lisa (Chenyan) Z. WB Immersive, to unpack what today’s Chinese consumers really want from 520. The old 520 formula — men buy, women receive, brands package the sentiment — is waning. Cue the rise of self-gifting, practical luxury, and emotionally resonant experiences

🔺China’s 520 romantic observance is shifting from performative gifting to emotionally driven, values-based consumption as younger consumers reject scripted romance.

🔸The traditional “boyfriend economy” is weakening, with over 30% of men opting out of gifting and women increasingly driving self-purchasing.

▪️Emotional relevance now matters more than luxury signaling, fueling growth in wellness, fragrance, travel, practical tech products, and friendship-driven gifting.

▫️Brands need to recalibrate 520 strategies away from short-term sales spikes toward long-term emotional resonance, community engagement, and experiential marketing.

🔹Limited-edition gift boxes alone no longer guarantee conversion as consumers increasingly favor personalization, co-creation, immersive experiences, and products with lasting utility or meaning.

Full story: https://lnkd.in/dN2Pxw65

China's mobile user growth is effectively capped, but time-on-platform and sector-level engagement are accelerating sharply, led by AI-generated content (AIGC) apps at 61.7% YoY growth.

Borderless travel is evolving into a seamless digital ecosystem.

Our 2026 Labor Day data (May 1–3) reveals a massive shift in how the world connects through seamless digital experiences. From Thai travelers to Hong Kong locals, familiar tools are bridging regional gaps through seamless "neighborhood" moments.

Here's how these digital connections translate into real-world growth:

📈Inbound Momentum: International card transaction volume via Weixin Pay grew 58% YoY. 

📲Digital Adoption: Inbound travelers’ average daily Mini Program usage increased 42% YoY, with Thailand leading at +73%. 

💰The "Neighborhood" Effect: Spending by Hong Kong SAR residents in the Chinese Mainland surged 78% YoY. 

📊Lifestyle Integration: Hong Kong consumers are increasingly using Weixin Pay for pet services, utilities, and cinemas while across the border. 

🌐Global Outbound Surge: Transaction volumes surged for Chinese mainland travelers in South Korea (+150% YoY) and Malaysia (+140% YoY). 

💹Seamless Overseas Usage: Transactions via Weixin Mini Programs overseas grew over 52% MoM, with Singapore leading the charge, achieving 5× YoY growth at scale.

Travel is no longer about "visiting"; it's about "integrating" via familiar digital tools.

As regional integration and digital payments evolve, which of these shifts—inbound, outbound, or regional connectivity—do you see having the biggest impact on your industry this year?
#Weixin #WeChat #WeixinPay #MiniProgram #FinTech #Tourism #BusinessGrowth #LaborDay2026 #DataInsights

The mainland is now where most Chinese luxury spending happens, reversing the overseas-travel era of the 2010s.

That detail came up at a closed-door session Jing Daily and Plug and Play Tech Center and Play hosted in Paris this month, with Stephen Morgan (COO, Jing Daily), Yuan Zou (VP APEC, Zadig&Voltaire), Philip Meyer (GM Asia, NOBLE PANACEA), Nicolas Rieul (Co-founder, Actionable), and Philipp Hödl of Plug and Play Tech Center.

Bain expects Chinese consumers to drive 40 percent of global luxury spend by 2030, beauty leading the way through 2035. What used to be one consumer is now four, moving in different directions:
▸ Millennials buying to substantiate taste, not signal arrival
▸ Gen Z choosing tribe loyalty over legacy brand names
▸ The silver economy, sitting on high wealth and peak leisure, emerging as the market's hidden moguls
▸ The cultural consumer driving Guochao 3.0 through provenance and storytelling

The proposition of luxury is being rewritten in real time. Access and affordability are non-negotiable. So is a sharper case for why a full-price, in-store purchase is still worth making.

Read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/eu4ShvPn

Tourism Seychelles strengthens ties with China’s luxury travel sector at DONG Connection 2026, highlighting sustainable, experience-led tourism as demand from high-net-worth travelers continues to rise.

French fashion brand Lemaire has issued a public apology after its recent fragrance campaign faced online backlash from Chinese consumers over culturally insensitive content.

China's Q1 2026 GDP beat forecasts on strong exports and industry output, but supply chain risks and weak demand signal challenges ahead.

China just doubled down on a message that’s shaking up the global education market.

“Schools are for learning, not for business.”

That’s the direction behind a wave of rules that strip profit out of core education. In simple terms, you can still run private schools in China, but you cannot treat compulsory education like a cash machine anymore. No investor dividends. No education-as-a-startup playbook. No tutoring empires built on exam pressure.

The logic is blunt. If something is part of basic education, it should behave more like a public service than a marketplace.

This is already reshaping everything:

Private school operators are being forced into non-profit structures
The tutoring industry has been heavily restricted and reorganised
Investors who once treated education like tech are pulling back fast

Supporters say it reduces pressure on families and cools down a hyper-competitive system that was turning childhood into an arms race.

Critics say it shrinks innovation and pushes private capital out of an entire sector that used to move fast and experiment.

Either way, one thing is clear. China is drawing a hard line between education and profit, and the ripple effects will not stay inside China.

If education stops being a business, what becomes of the businesses that built themselves around it?

Credits: CTTO
| 52 comments on LinkedIn

(Yicai) April 21 -- China’s outbound tourism market is rebounding strongly, with visa application volumes in the first quarter of 2026 nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels, according to global outsourcing specialist VFS Global.The recovery highlights a broader resurgence in international travel...

Dragon Trail’s March 2026 survey of 1,038 Chinese travelers covers May Labor Day holiday plans, the impact of the Iran conflict on outbound travel intention, wellness travel, how social media content inspires outbound travel wish lists, and much more.