China's outbound tourism has exploded from just 10 million trips at the turn of the millennium to a staggering 155 million in 2019, and today's resilient traveler—younger, tech-savvy, and spending big—is poised to completely redefine the global travel landscape once again.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, Chinese outbound tourists made 155 million trips, marking a 14.6% increase from 2018
- Chinese outbound tourism expenditure reached $255 billion in 2019, up 12% year-on-year
- From 2014 to 2019, annual growth rate of Chinese outbound trips averaged 10.5%
- Thailand welcomed 3.5 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Japan received 9.6 million Chinese visitors in 2019, peak year
- South Korea saw 6 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Average age of Chinese outbound tourists is 35-44 years, comprising 40% of travelers in 2019
- 55% of Chinese outbound tourists are female, per 2023 data
- Millennials (25-40) account for 60% of outbound travelers in 2024
- Per capita spending on outbound trips averaged $1,646 in 2019
- Total outbound tourism spending $254.6 billion in 2019
- Shopping accounts for 35% of Chinese outbound spending, $89 billion in 2019
- Chinese outbound tourism to reach 200 million trips by 2025
- Outbound spending forecast: $450 billion by 2028, CAGR 12%
- Asia-Pacific to capture 75% of Chinese outbound growth to 2030
China's outbound tourism has rebounded strongly and is growing to record highs.
Demographics
- Average age of Chinese outbound tourists is 35-44 years, comprising 40% of travelers in 2019
- 55% of Chinese outbound tourists are female, per 2023 data
- Millennials (25-40) account for 60% of outbound travelers in 2024
- Urban residents from Tier 1 cities make up 70% of outbound tourists
- 45% of Chinese outbound tourists have college education or higher, 2023 survey
- Family trips represent 35% of outbound travel purposes in 2019
- Income level: 60% of outbound tourists earn over RMB 100,000 annually
- Gen Z (18-24) outbound participation rose to 25% in 2024 from 15% in 2019
- 75% of outbound tourists from eastern provinces like Guangdong and Shanghai
- Leisure/holiday purpose: 65% of 155M trips in 2019
- Solo travelers increased to 20% in 2023 from 10% pre-pandemic
- 30% of outbound tourists are first-time international travelers, 2024 data
- Married couples with children: 28% of family demographics in outbound
- White-collar professionals: 50% of outbound tourist occupations
- 2023: 40% of outbound from Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou clusters
- Business travel: 15% of outbound trips in 2019
- Elderly (55+) outbound share: 12% in 2023, up from 8%
- Students studying abroad contribute 5% to outbound volume
- High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) outbound: 1.2 million trips annually
- 65% smartphone users book outbound trips online, 2024
- Repeat visitors to same destination: 40% of Chinese outbound
- VFR (visiting friends/relatives): 10% purpose in 2019
- Average household size for family outbound: 3.8 members
Demographics Interpretation
Picture the modern Chinese outbound tourist: she's likely a savvy, college-educated urban millennial woman with disposable income, leading a leisure travel revolution that is increasingly youthful, solo-friendly, and digitally booked, yet still firmly rooted in family and familiar destinations.
Spending Patterns
- Per capita spending on outbound trips averaged $1,646 in 2019
- Total outbound tourism spending $254.6 billion in 2019
- Shopping accounts for 35% of Chinese outbound spending, $89 billion in 2019
- Average hotel spend per night: $150 for Chinese tourists in Europe 2019
- 2023 outbound spending recovery to $150 billion, 60% of 2019
- Duty-free shopping by Chinese: $10 billion annually pre-COVID
- Airfare costs 25% of total outbound budget, avg $400/trip 2019
- Luxury goods spending: $50 billion by Chinese abroad in 2019
- 2024 H1 outbound spending $92 billion
- Food and dining: 15% of spending, avg $200/trip per tourist
- Casino spending in Macau by mainland: $30 billion in 2019
- Southeast Asia hotel spend by Chinese: $20 billion 2019
- 70% pay via mobile wallets abroad, avg transaction $150
- Gifts/souvenirs: 20% of budget, $50 billion total 2019
- Entertainment (theme parks): $15 billion spent by Chinese outbound 2019
- Medical tourism spending: $5 billion annually pre-2020
- 2023 average spend per trip: $1,200, up 10% YoY
- Europe luxury retail from Chinese: $25 billion 2019
- Transport (beyond air): 10% of spend, avg $100/trip
- High-speed rail abroad booked: $2 billion by Chinese 2024
- Projected 2024 total spending: $300 billion
- Avg daily spend in Thailand: $250 per Chinese tourist 2019
Spending Patterns Interpretation
The Chinese outbound tourist marches with the strategic budgeting of a general and the spending power of a siege engine, transforming the global economy one meticulously planned luxury purchase at a time.
Top Destinations
- Thailand welcomed 3.5 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Japan received 9.6 million Chinese visitors in 2019, peak year
- South Korea saw 6 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Vietnam hosted 5.8 million Chinese in 2019
- Singapore attracted 3.6 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Malaysia received 3.3 million Chinese visitors in 2019
- 2023: Thailand Chinese arrivals 3.5 million, 130% recovery
- Hong Kong welcomed 25 million mainland Chinese in 2019
- Australia got 1.4 million Chinese tourists pre-COVID 2019
- 2024 H1: Japan Chinese visitors 2.1 million
- Indonesia (Bali) saw 1.2 million Chinese in 2019
- 2023: South Korea Chinese tourists 2.5 million
- UAE (Dubai) attracted 1 million Chinese in 2019
- 2024 forecast: Thailand 8 million Chinese visitors
- France received 1.5 million Chinese tourists in 2019
- Philippines hosted 1.7 million Chinese in 2019
- 2023: Vietnam Chinese arrivals 3.2 million
- USA welcomed 2.8 million Chinese in 2019
- 2024 Spring Festival: Singapore 200,000 Chinese visitors
- Italy saw 900,000 Chinese tourists in 2019
- Cambodia received 2.2 million Chinese in 2019
- 2023: Malaysia 1.4 million Chinese arrivals
- UK hosted 900,000 Chinese in 2019
- Laos saw 4.2 million Chinese border crossers in 2019 (mostly tourists)
- 2024 Q1: Japan 1.2 million Chinese
- Russia attracted 700,000 Chinese tourists in 2019
- 2023 Golden Week: Hong Kong 300,000 mainland visitors daily peak
- Germany received 800,000 Chinese in 2019
- 70% of Chinese outbound trips to Asia in 2023
Top Destinations Interpretation
While Asia’s buffet of destinations keeps the lion's share of China's massive outbound tourism appetite, the 2024 forecast suggests we're all just waiting for Thailand to officially become a Chinese province, given its projected 8 million visitors.
Trends and Forecasts
- Chinese outbound tourism to reach 200 million trips by 2025
- Outbound spending forecast: $450 billion by 2028, CAGR 12%
- Asia-Pacific to capture 75% of Chinese outbound growth to 2030
- Sustainable tourism preference rises to 60% among Chinese by 2025
- Group tours to decline to 30% share by 2025 from 50% in 2019
- Digital nomad visas to attract 1 million Chinese annually by 2027
- EV rental demand from Chinese tourists to grow 50% YoY to 2026
- Personalized itineraries via AI to be 40% of bookings by 2025
- Southeast Asia market share to rise to 40% by 2028
- Long-haul Europe trips to double to 10 million by 2030
- Visa-free policies to boost outbound by 20% in 2024-2025
- Adventure tourism segment growth 25% CAGR to 2027
- Wellness retreats spending to hit $50B by 2026
- Metaverse virtual tours to supplement 15% physical trips by 2030
- Female solo travel to reach 30% by 2025
- Overtourism mitigation: 50% prefer off-peak by 2026
- Blockchain payments abroad adoption 70% by 2028
- Space tourism interest: 5% of HNWIs by 2030
- Rural tourism abroad demand up 40% post-2024
- 90% mobile-first bookings by 2025
- Halal tourism for Chinese Muslims: 2M trips by 2027
- Climate-resilient destinations preference 55% by 2030
- Gig economy integration: 20% use local services apps abroad
- Post-pandemic health checks: 80% priority in 2025 choices
Trends and Forecasts Interpretation
The world's tourism industry, already adjusting its collective belt, must now prepare for the Chinese traveler of the near future: a tech-savvy, environmentally conscious, solo female adventurer who books her EV rental and wellness retreat with blockchain from her phone, craves authentic and off-peak rural escapes, and may very well be planning her trip to space.
Volume and Growth
- In 2019, Chinese outbound tourists made 155 million trips, marking a 14.6% increase from 2018
- Chinese outbound tourism expenditure reached $255 billion in 2019, up 12% year-on-year
- From 2014 to 2019, annual growth rate of Chinese outbound trips averaged 10.5%
- In H1 2023, outbound trips recovered to 45 million, 46% of 2019 levels
- Q4 2023 saw 28.79 million outbound trips by Chinese, up 168.9% YoY
- 2023 full-year outbound trips estimated at 130 million, 84% recovery from 2019
- Pre-COVID peak in 2018: 149 million outbound trips
- 2022 outbound trips dropped to 20 million due to zero-COVID policy
- January 2024 outbound trips surged 283% YoY to 8.2 million
- H1 2024 outbound trips hit 65 million, 102% recovery from 2019
- Annual growth from 2010-2019 was 18.2% CAGR for outbound tourists
- 2023 Q1-Q3 outbound trips totaled 97 million, up 320% YoY
- Outbound tourism volume forecast to grow 15% annually post-2024
- 2015 outbound trips: 120 million, 15% growth from prior year
- Pandemic low in 2020: only 2.5 million outbound trips
- 2024 projected outbound trips: 200 million, surpassing 2019 peak
- Golden Week 2023 outbound trips: 1.3 million, up 200% YoY
- 2017 outbound trips: 131 million, 12% increase
- Recovery rate in Asia-Pacific for Chinese outbound: 95% of 2019 in 2024
- 2023 December outbound trips: 10.6 million, 10.7x YoY growth
- 2016 outbound trips reached 122 million
- 2024 Spring Festival outbound: 2.57 million trips
- Long-term growth 2000-2019: from 10M to 155M trips
- 2023 outbound recovery driven by group tours resuming, up 400% YoY
- 2019 Asia received 70% of Chinese outbound trips
- 2024 forecast: 130M trips to ASEAN alone
- 2022 outbound air passengers: 12 million
- Historical peak growth year 2016: 16% increase to 122M
- 2024 H1 group tours: 4.1 million outbound
- Overall CAGR 2015-2023: 8.2% despite pandemic dip
Volume and Growth Interpretation
The world is once again bracing for the seismic economic and cultural tremor of Chinese tourists, who, after a pandemic-induced hibernation, are now traveling with a vengeance that would make their pre-2019 spending sprees look like a cautious rehearsal.
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