Which platforms do Chinese tourists use to research and book travel?

Chinese travellers use a combination of platforms across the research and booking journey. Xiaohongshu is widely used for destination inspiration, travel tips, and itinerary recommendations. Mafengwo and Ctrip are key for reviews, hotel comparisons, and booking. WeChat supports itinerary sharing, group travel coordination, and hotel loyalty programmes. Douyin and Weibo are used for destination content and travel KOL discovery.

How do destination brands reach Chinese outbound tourists?

Destination marketing for Chinese travellers typically combines Ctrip advertising for direct booking intent, Xiaohongshu content seeding for inspiration and social proof, travel KOL partnerships on Douyin and Weibo for reach, and WeChat for follow-up engagement and loyalty. Official account content and Mini Programs can support booking flows, itinerary access, and on-destination communication.

What is the difference between Ctrip and Mafengwo for travel marketing?

Ctrip is primarily a booking and transaction platform — brands advertise on Ctrip to capture users with high commercial intent who are actively comparing and booking hotels, flights, and packages. Mafengwo is more of a content and community platform where travellers share trip reports, itineraries, and destination reviews. Mafengwo is stronger for building inspiration and consideration, while Ctrip is stronger for conversion.

How important are travel KOLs for reaching Chinese tourists?

Travel KOLs are highly influential in the Chinese outbound travel market. Chinese travellers frequently follow travel creators on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Weibo for destination recommendations, visa tips, hotel reviews, and itinerary planning. A well-matched travel KOL partnership — pairing the creator's audience demographics with the destination's target visitor profile — can significantly drive brand awareness, inspiration, and direct booking intent among Chinese travellers.

Travel Marketing Agency in China

Reach and convert Chinese travelers with campaigns that blend inspiration and performance. Sekkei Digital Group supports destinations, hotels, and tour operators through localized content, influencer activations, and measurable booking funnels across China’s leading digital platforms.

(Skift, 2025)

(Jing Daily, 2025)

(China Outbound Travel Trend Report, 2025)

Unique Challenges of
Marketing to Chinese Tourists

Online Booking Preferences

Around 40% of Chinese consumers plan their overseas trips on social media platforms. Online trends and user-generated content highly influence their purchasing decisions while traveling abroad. These consumption patterns make digital marketing non-negotiable for foreign brands.

Complex Marketing Content Calendar

Holidays are the peak of local consumerism in the Chinese travel market. China has a long list of celebrations, from the Lunar New Year to the National Golden Week. Campaigns must be planned months in advance, as ad costs spike and competition intensifies during these periods.

Competition with Local Destinations

In China’s local tourism and hospitality industry, foreign brands are competing not only with each other but also with domestic destinations seen as cost-effective alternatives. This means that your digital marketing must highlight experiences that cannot be easily replicated locally.

SDG’s China Travel Marketing Solutions

We combine our deep understanding of China’s travel ecosystem with targeted content strategies and platform-specific campaigns, helping overseas destinations boost visibility, inspire trip planning, and convert Chinese travelers into engaged visitors.

Travel Content Marketing Campaigns

Popular Chinese social media platforms are often the primary point of travel inspiration. That’s why we create content marketing campaigns that spark discovery among Chinese consumers, blending posts, short videos, and other interactive media to build local visibility.

China OTA Advertising Campaigns

We launch advertising campaigns on leading online travel agencies (OTAs) in China, such as Ctrip and Fliggy, to capture high-intent travelers. By targeting key search queries and categories, we position your brand where Chinese users are actively comparing options before making a booking.

Collaborations with Chinese Travel KOLs and KOCs

Travel influencers in China often build trust through livestream campaigns, vlogs, and in-depth trip diaries. We partner with influencers to distribute your content across various platforms, helping Chinese customers perceive your brand as credible and reliable.

Baidu SEO & SEM for Travel Search

Chinese travelers turn to Baidu when researching destinations, accommodations, and travel tips. We optimize your presence through both paid and organic strategies, leveraging online forums such as Zhihu and Baidu Tieba to boost your visibility in search results.

Mini-Programs for Travel Retail & Bookings

Mini-Programs for Travel Retail & Bookings
From booking hotels to reserving itinerary packages, we build WeChat Mini Programs that allow seamless browsing, reservations, and in-app payments. These mini apps serve as your digital storefront in WeChat, keeping users engaged without redirecting them off the platform.

Discover Our China Travel Marketing Projects

Discover how we help international destinations, hotels, and attractions connect with Chinese tourists.

To promote the Region of Valencia, we ran localized campaigns across WeChat, Weibo, and Mafengwo. This strategy is not only to showcase the region’s attractions but also to inspire travel interest from Chinese audiences.

Our work with Courtyard by Marriott Colombo includes localized WeChat content and targeted cTrip ads to connect with Chinese audiences, enhance brand awareness, and secure actual bookings.

We executed WeChat Moment Ads and an influencer campaign for Marriott Vacation Club, generating 1,630 leads in 7 weeks and achieving 1.2M+ Xiaohongshu views through collaborations with 30 KOCs.

Travel and Hospitality Brands
We Worked With

Frequently Asked Questions

Which platforms matter most for tourism marketing in China?

The most influential platforms for tourism marketing in China are Xiaohongshu, WeChat, Douyin, and local OTAs like Ctrip and Fliggy. Travel brands trying to connect with Chinese travelers should maintain a digital presence across content-driven and travel booking apps to ensure full-funnel marketing coverage from brand discovery to actual purchase.

On social media platforms, strategic content marketing strategies like media-rich reviews and short-form videos tend to work well in pulling the interest of Chinese tourists. However, it’s still important to convert awareness into action by linking these campaigns to OTAs and mini-programs where travelers can book immediately.

How do hotels increase bookings from Chinese travelers?

Hotels can increase bookings from Chinese travelers by optimizing digital visibility on major Chinese platforms and enabling localized payment systems. Listing rooms and packages on OTAs like Ctrip and Fliggy ensures reach across China’s top travel search channels. At the same time, an active presence on social media platforms like WeChat supports direct user engagement through content promotions and customer service.

Businesses that align marketing content and booking experience with Chinese travelers’ digital habits see stronger engagement, higher conversion rates, and repeat visits driven by positive online reviews and social sharing.

What marketing content converts Chinese tourists?

The content that converts Chinese tourists is highly visual, mobile-friendly, and built around a real traveler experience. Short-form travel videos, destination vlogs, and itinerary-style reels on Douyin and Xiaohongshu help Chinese tourists imagine the trip and understand what they can do, eat, and buy.

User-generated reviews, practical photo guides, and honest “before/after” travel tips create trust and reduce hesitation before booking.

Detailed trip diaries, price breakdowns, and step-by-step how-to content also perform well because they answer real travel planning questions. Tourism marketing in China works best when content shows proof and links directly to a booking landing page.

SDG Expertise in Focus

Explore Sekkei Digital Group’s recommended strategies for foreign brands executing travel marketing in China.

TRAVEL MARKETING IN CHINA FOR FOREIGN BRANDS

Chinese travelers plan across social platforms, search engines, and OTAs long before they confirm a booking.

Designed around these user behaviors, our campaigns help foreign brands build relevance across the channels local tourists use to research, validate, and plan outbound trips.

Travel Marketing Agency in China