The Chinese travel trade has been busy since China reopened for international leisure travel at the start of 2023. They’ve been traveling the world, attending training courses both online and offline, adapting to meet new consumer demands, and embracing the newest technology.
That makes it all the more important for outbound destinations and businesses to keep up to date, too. Starting in 2025, Dragon Trail’s Chinese outbound travel trade surveys are now bi-annual, and this is our second report of the year. It’s based on a survey of 280 Chinese travel trade professionals currently selling outbound trips, conducted between 17-23 June. The report covers four main topics: Market status, B2B outreach, a deep-dive on Chinese travel to Europe, and AI technology.
Click here to view and download the full report
(Users in China: if you cannot open the above link, please contact us directly to receive your copy of the report)
Our survey findings reveal a generally positive outlook – 61% of travel agents said the outbound travel market has improved from 2024. They also highlight the benefits of B2B engagement and outreach. The vast majority of travel agents have attended recent FAM trips and training for outbound destinations, and these experiences have directly enhanced their ability to sell travel and to work with clients, whose demands for increasingly personalized service and products continue to grow. There is also an interesting correlation between global destinations that are doing the most outreach and those that the travel trade see as having the most potential for sales.
Looking towards the future, although AI is very new for the travel industry – most of China’s OTAs only introduced consumer-facing AI tools between February and April of 2025 – its adoption has been rapid and widespread. 82% of our survey respondents said their companies were already using AI tools.
One ongoing trend that we see clearly in our surveys, is that Chinese travelers are no longer satisfied with a one-size-fits-all approach. The development of customized itineraries and personalized service represents an opportunity for the travel trade, but it’s also one of their biggest challenges. Some agents admitted that they don’t have the resources to keep up with these increasingly fragmented demands. This is one area where AI can be deployed to help travel agents keep up, and the key application for Dragon Trail’s new Trip Builder Pro AI platform, a B2B tool built to help Chinese travel agents generate highly personalized itineraries – click here for more information.
These are the 6 key insights from the report:
1) The majority of travel agents say China’s outbound market has improved this year
61% of surveyed travel agents said that outbound travel business in the first half of 2025 has been better than in 2024. Key growth opportunities include family/study tours, emerging niche destinations, and personalized and themed travel products.
2) While East Asia remains the best-selling region, Western Europe is also strong
In H1 2025, Asia and Europe were the top two world regions with the most travel agencies selling tours and the best sales performance. In this survey, Western Europe surpassed Southeast Asia as the no. 2 region for sales performance, after East Asia. Within Europe, travel agents identified France, the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, and Italy as the countries with the most potential.
3) Face-to-face experiences are essential to Chinese travel agents
Offline events that allow for face-to-face meetings and in-person experiences are most favored by the Chinese travel trade for working with outbound travel destinations, especially offline training and FAM trips. 90% of survey respondents have been on an outbound FAM trip since China reopened, and 81% have participated in training activities with outbound travel brands – with around three-quarters of these engaged in offline training.
4) The top outbound destinations are engaging actively with the Chinese travel trade
There is a strong correlation between the destinations Chinese travel agents think have the most sales potential, and the countries where they’ve gone on FAM trips and completed training. Japan in particular stands out as the top country for both FAM trips and training in the last two years – and it is also the most popular international destination for Chinese tourists. For Europe, all of the recent B2B events that survey respondents have attended have been organized by Western European countries, including leading destinations France, Italy, and the UK.
5) European market profile: Young, independent, and looking for culture
Which market segments are most likely to visit Europe, and what are they interested in? According to our survey respondents, Gen-Z couples with mid-range budgets, traveling independently or on customized tours, show the most potential. When it comes to information desired by Chinese travel agents to help them better understand and promote travel to Europe, culture stands out. The top categories where survey respondents wanted to receive information were cultural and historical attractions, followed by local culture and customs.
6) Chinese travel agencies have embraced AI
Most surveyed travel agencies are already using AI to enhance their business. 82% say their company has adopted AI technology, with intelligent travel assistants, and translation and language support the most commonly used scenarios.
Dragon Trail’s B2B marketing services include digital solutions such as AI itinerary planning tools, training courses and live webinars; trade representation; and a full range of event management, including offline, hybrid, and digital events and FAM trips. Click here to learn more, or contact us to discuss how we can connect you to the Chinese travel trade.
About this report
The Chinese Outbound Travel Trade Survey: July 2025 is published by Dragon Trail Research (a division of Dragon Trail International), based on our own survey of 280 travel agents currently selling outbound travel for mainland Chinese travel agencies. In addition to trade and consumer reports, Dragon Trail Research also offers a number of services to travel brands and businesses, including bespoke consumer and trade surveys, focus groups and more. Please click here or contact us for more information on how we can help you get the information you need on China’s travel market.
About Dragon Trail
Dragon Trail Research is a division of Dragon Trail International, an award-winning marketing solutions company with roots in China and extensive experience in the global travel and MICE sectors. Since 2009, our international team of digital solutions and marketing specialists has been helping leading brands around the world to become more globally connected and competitive. Our clients span the travel, MICE, education, and trade sectors, including national and regional destination marketing organizations, event organizers, international organizations, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, attractions, retailers and more.
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