16.34M cross‑border movements and 888M domestic trips mark a decisive shift toward immersive, experience‑led travel
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HONG KONG, GUANGZHOU, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, KUALA LUMPUR, LONDON, DUBAI, 16 October 2025 – EternityX, a leader in AI-driven cross-border marketing, today released Golden Week 2025: Strategic Outlook on Chinese Outbound Travel.
“Golden Week confirms a structural pivot in Chinese travel, from speed to depth, and from ad-hoc touchpoints to a fully digital, discovery-to-payment journey. For brands, this isn’t a seasonal bump; it’s a new operating reality. Those who design immersive experiences, local relevance at scale, and seamless payments will convert intent into loyalty faster, and capture outsized share as outbound normalises,”
said Charlene Ree, CEO and Founder of EternityX.
The report finds that during the National Day Golden Week, China recorded 888 million domestic tourist trips and 16.34 million cross-border movements – evidence of strong and broad-based travel momentum. The eight-day statutory holiday, flexible leave policies, and an expanding visa-waiver network collectively made 2025 the most vibrant outbound period in recent years.
From Checklists to Immersion: A Structural Shift
Chinese travelers are moving from fast, checklist‑style itineraries to slower, experience‑rich journeys. Longer breaks (10–12 days through leave adjustments) expanded the aperture for long‑haul destinations—particularly Europe, the Middle East, and East Africa – tempering the historical dominance of short‑haul regional trips.
Three Market Drivers Redefining Demand:
- Extended holidays enable “in‑depth travel”: more time in‑market and deeper cultural engagement.
- Visa‑waiver expansion accelerates intent and conversion: Southeast Asia (e.g., Thailand) and Middle Eastern destinations (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) saw notable uplifts in search and bookings.
- Evolving values: a tilt toward slower‑paced, immersive experiences; heavy reliance on social platforms for planning; and value‑for‑money discipline in spend.
Robust Performance and Changing Mix:
- Outbound indicators rose materially: travel intention increased ~40% versus Golden Week 2024, and international flight bookings surged ~110%.
- Gen Z (32%), silver‑haired travelers (22%), and millennial families (21%) emerged as core segments.
- Residents in tier‑3 and below cities became a new growth engine, with outbound trips up >50% year‑on‑year and, in scale, surpassing first‑tier cities.
- While short‑haul to Southeast and East Asia remained significant, long‑haul bookings to Europe, MENA, and East Africa accelerated—signaling a healthy “both/and” portfolio across distances.
Digital Discovery-to-Payment Is the New Travel OS:
Planning starts earlier and is increasingly social: Xiaohongshu and Douyin continue to shape itineraries and product discovery. Themed products—self‑drive routes and sports‑led trips (e.g., Sydney for marathon events)—gained traction. Payments are friction‑light: one in two outbound tourists used Alipay, with notable growth in health and lifestyle spend; WeChat Pay reported a 21% year‑on‑year increase in cross‑border transactions, with mini‑programs streamlining dining, transport, and local services.
“We see a fundamental shift in how Chinese travelers allocate time and value – away from speed and toward depth,” said Jean Loh, Global CMO EternityX. “Brands that pivot from merely ‘reaching’ audiences to emotionally ‘moving’ them – through cultural relevance, personalization, and seamless digital experiences will win share, faster.”
“This social discovery‑to‑payment fabric is reshaping the traveler decision journey. Digital is no longer a set of touchpoints, and rather, it is the battleground for preference, conversion, and loyalty,” said CT Lim, Senior Director of Marketing Insights and Product Innovation Hub at EternityX.
Outlook: Full Recovery in 2026 and a New Growth Cycle
Building on structural shifts observed in 2025, EternityX projects China’s outbound market to fully recover in 2026, reaffirming its status as the world’s largest. Outbound trips could reach ~228 million annually by 2030, surpassing pre‑pandemic levels; the total market may approach RMB 2 trillion.
Implications for Brands: Five Moves Now
- Inspire early, convert swiftly: activate Xiaohongshu and Douyin during pre‑holiday planning windows.
- Go beyond Tier‑1: partner with regional KOLs to tailor content around safety, convenience, and value.
- Design for immersion: package slow escapes, wellness journeys, and culturally rich experiences.
- Simplify pay, amplify reach: expand Alipay and WeChat Pay acceptance and pursue co‑marketing.
- Build trust equity: anchor communications in reliability, safety, and empathy amid uncertainty.
Conclusion: Compete on Immersion, Not Impressions:
Golden Week 2025 is not a spike—it codifies a new operating reality. China’s travelers are reallocating time and value toward depth, planning and paying end-to-end in digital. From our research, market leaders are already converting Xiaohongshu/Douyin discovery into booked demand, extending relevance beyond Tier-1 via city clusters and cultural calendars. Payments are becoming a non-event, with Alipay and WeChat Pay powering mini-program journeys from browse to book to re-engagement. Chinese-traveler readiness is being operationalised end-to-end Mandarin-capable service, QR-native journeys, and support on China time, turning into measurable advantage tracked through intent and share of search, save-to-book time, auth-to-pay conversion, wallet penetration, satisfaction, repeat, and long-haul mix. As recovery consolidates into 2026, brands optimised for immersion will translate intent into loyalty and sustainable share.
“Golden Week is the proof point that the market’s centre of gravity has shifted from impressions to immersion. The brands winning share are the ones turning social discovery into booked demand and making payment invisible—while running truly Chinese-ready operations on the ground. As outbound normalises into 2026, those capabilities compound into loyalty and lifetime value,” said Simon Zhong, Head of Insights & Product Innovation at EternityX.
Download the full report to pressure-test your plans for 2026.
About EternityX Marketing Technology
Mastering the Realm of Chinese Audiences
At EternityX, we equip brands and businesses to master the realm of Chinese audiences through the Power of Three—PilotX, NaviX, and MediaX. These cutting-edge, AI-powered solutions enable precision targeting, providing data-driven insights that allow companies to connect with profitable audiences in key markets and beyond. With over 12,000 successful cross-border campaigns for more than 1,000 brands, EternityX helps brands unlock growth, deepen audience connections, and drive long-term success. Our expertise bridges the gap between East and West, ensuring that brands can thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Learn more: https://www.eternityx.com
As Founder and CEO of EternityX Marketing Technology, Charlene is a pioneering leader in the digital marketing landscape, dedicated to driving growth and innovation. Her role encompasses overseeing the strategic direction of the company, with a strong emphasis on connecting brands to the Chinese market and enhancing their engagement with diverse audiences. Charlene’s unique expertise in digital business allows her to identify key opportunities and efficiently allocate resources, ensuring that brands not only thrive but also build authentic connections with their target markets.