2025 didn’t just bring travel back—it brought a new mindset. We saw spending confidence return, but the bigger change was why people travel and how they choose. Across our day-to-day work with tourism clients, one message became clearer month-by-month: Chinese travelers are optimizing less for “value for money,” and more for “value for me.” Travelers are increasingly willing to pay more when a trip buys them emotional payoff (I feel restored), identity payoff (this says something about me), and time or mental payoff (fewer choices, less friction, more certainty).
2025’s real shift: paying extra for peace of mind – and a better story to tell
The data-backed picture of 2025 is quietly dramatic. During major public holidays, trip volumes, total spending, and per-capita spend all grew together, pointing to a stronger willingness to pay for “better” holiday experiences. But the bigger signal lies in how people travel. Destination choice has shifted away from price to personal fulfillment. Nearly 30% of travelers explicitly tried to avoid crowds, acclerating interest in niche and off-peak travel. At the same time, more than half preferred in-depth exploration of a single destination over multi-stop itineraries1.
2026’s power duo: two high-value outbound segments shaping demand
Outbound travel momentum is increasingly shaped by high-value travelers.
First are the post-80s and post-90s cohorts, still the backbone of outbound travel. According to Trip.com, travelers born in the 1980s and 1990s represented 67% of outbound travelers in 2024, and that proportion is expected to grow2. These travelers are experienced, efficient, and increasingly intolerant of “generic”. They want trips that match their personal interests and tastes.
Second is the quietly explosive rise of “active seniors”. Being healthy and mobile, these more-than-60-year-old travelers possess strong spending power and prefer comfortable, safe and hassle-free planning. According to ITB’s latest report, more than 100 million active seniors are expected to travel, with market volume forecast to exceed RMB 1 trillion3. “Silver” is no longer a niche – it’s a headline segment with strong spending power and clear service expectations.
We see the same direction in our UMS research: seniors aged 60+ already account for a meaningful share of travelers and are actively pushing demand for accessibility and convenience across attractions4.
Together, these two groups are accelerating the same core demand: higher certainty, better experiences, and less decision fatigue — expressed in different tones, but driven by the same underlying need.
What this means for social media
When travelers seek fulfillment and decision relief, social content can’t just be “pretty.” It needs to reduce doubt and make choices feel easy.
This means tighter storytelling, clearer “who this is for” positioning, and creator or content formats that feel lived-in rather rathar than brochure-polished. And because outbound demand is being driven by both seasoned millennials/Gen Z and rising active seniors, brands need a social system that can speak in two registers—consistent in strategy, but tailored in pacing, proof points, and trust cues.
If you want a deeper read, our latest UMS Research Academy guide, Top Trends: China Tourism Market 2025, breaks down the platform behaviors, content angles, and travel themes shaping China’s tourism market. It’s designed to be practical – and an easy to share internally without needing a long meeting first.
References
- China Travel News — What new shifts are emerging in China’s travel market for 2026?
- MICE in Asia — ITB China Release Travel Trends Report for 2025–2026
- ITB.com — New ITB China Travel Trends Report 2025/26 reveals what drives China’s travel market
- UMS Research Academy — Top Trends: China Tourism Market 2025
