Airbnb in China in 2026: What Happened, What Works, and What It Means for Your Tourism Business

When we first wrote about Airbnb and China in 2017, the question was whether the world’s biggest home-sharing platform could crack the world’s biggest travel market. We now have a definitive answer: it could not, at least not domestically. But the story has more to it than a simple failure, and for businesses in tourism and hospitality, it contains some of the most useful lessons about the Chinese consumer market available.

The State of Short-Term Rentals in China: Key Numbers

• Airbnb exited China in 2022, shutting down its domestic hosting platform after a decade of struggling to compete
• Tujia (途家), China’s leading home-sharing platform, now has over 1 million listings — versus Airbnb’s 30,000 at its peak in China
• Short-term rental platforms in China generated over $12 billion in revenue in 2025, up from roughly $10 billion in 2024 (iResearch China 2026)
• Chinese travelers booking overseas Airbnb stays has grown steadily — they use Airbnb outside China, just not inside it
• Ctrip (Trip.com) dominates Chinese outbound travel booking, with 400+ million registered users
• Independent travelers (自由行, zìyóu xíng) now represent 70%+ of Chinese outbound trips and generate 6x the booking volume of group tours (Fastdata 2024) — all of them needing accommodation that suits their preferences
• Xiaohongshu has become the primary discovery tool for Chinese travelers researching accommodation abroad, with 1.3 billion monthly travel-related searches (QuestMobile 2025)

What Actually Happened to Airbnb in China

By 2017, Airbnb had around 30,000 listings in China — a small number compared to local competitor Tujia (途家), which already had over 420,000. Airbnb had the brand recognition, the global inventory, and the capital. Tujia had something more valuable: a deep understanding of how Chinese consumers actually behave online.

The problems were structural. Chinese users expected instant messaging with hosts — not email-style communication through a platform interface. They wanted phone numbers, WeChat contact, and fast responses. They trusted platforms that showed real identities and enabled direct human connection. Airbnb’s product, designed for Western usage patterns, felt impersonal by Chinese standards.

Then came regulatory pressure. China’s strict identity verification requirements for temporary accommodation — every guest must register their ID — put foreign platforms in a legally complicated position. Airbnb navigated this carefully, but it added friction that domestic competitors did not face in the same way.

In May 2022, Airbnb announced it was suspending all domestic listings and experiences in China. The platform now operates in China exclusively for outbound travelers booking accommodation abroad.

Who Won the Chinese Short-Term Rental Market

The winners were the platforms that understood China from day one. Tujia (途家) leads the market with a product built around Chinese user expectations: direct host contact via WeChat, detailed identity verification integrated smoothly into the booking flow, Chinese-language customer service, and deep integration with Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Meituan (美团), originally a group-buying and food delivery platform, expanded aggressively into accommodation and is now a major player in short-term rentals. Its integration with the broader Meituan ecosystem — food delivery, reviews, local services — gives it a relationship with Chinese urban consumers that foreign platforms cannot easily replicate.

The lesson here is not that Western brands cannot succeed in China. It is that success in China requires building for Chinese users, not adapting a Western product for them. There is a significant difference.

What We Got Wrong

I managed a project for a European villa rental company in 2022 that wanted to attract Chinese guests. Our first approach: list on Airbnb and optimize the description for Chinese travelers. We spent three months on Airbnb profile optimization.

The problem: most Chinese outbound travelers do not start their accommodation search on Airbnb. They start on Ctrip or Xiaohongshu. We had been optimizing the wrong platform entirely. The villa had beautiful photos and zero visibility where Chinese travelers actually look.

What we do now: for any accommodation client targeting Chinese guests, the first step is always Ctrip listing setup, followed by a Xiaohongshu content strategy. Airbnb can be a secondary channel for some markets, but it should never be the first one.

3 Agency Case Studies

Case Study 1: Boutique rental villa, Tuscany
The owner had 5 years of Airbnb history and great reviews, but almost no Chinese guests. We created a Ctrip listing with professional Mandarin descriptions and translated the 20 best English reviews into Chinese. We then ran a Xiaohongshu campaign with a Chinese travel KOL who specializes in Italian luxury travel. Within 4 months, Chinese bookings went from 1-2 per year to 14 confirmed stays, with an average stay of 5 nights. The Chinese guest spend per stay was 35% above their European average.

Case Study 2: Serviced apartment group, Bangkok
The client had Airbnb and Booking.com listings but wanted to grow their Chinese segment specifically. We added Alipay and WeChat Pay, created a WeChat mini-program for property booking and in-stay requests, and built a Xiaohongshu profile with weekly content. Chinese bookings grew from 8% to 23% of total revenue within 6 months. The client noted that Chinese guests had higher return rates and longer average stays than any other nationality.

Case Study 3: Heritage guesthouse, Kyoto
The property had a strong Airbnb profile and a deep waitlist from Western travelers. They wanted to test the Chinese market. We set up a Ctrip listing, enabled WeChat Pay, and created a simple QR code at check-in linking to a Mandarin FAQ about the neighborhood. Within 3 months, Chinese guests represented 18% of total bookings and left the highest-rated reviews on the property’s Ctrip profile.

What This Means for Hotels and Accommodation Providers

Your Chinese guests are not finding you on Airbnb — they are finding you on Ctrip, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin. Their decision to book is heavily influenced by what they see on those platforms before they land on your own website.

Be Present on Ctrip (Trip.com)

Ctrip is to Chinese travelers what Booking.com is to European travelers. If you operate accommodation and you are not on Ctrip, you are invisible to a significant share of Chinese potential guests. The platform has 400+ million registered users and is the default booking tool for most Chinese outbound travelers. Getting listed, managing your profile, and collecting Chinese-language reviews is foundational. You can learn more about how we handle this through our full services page.

Build Your Xiaohongshu Presence

Before a Chinese traveler books your property, they will search for it on Xiaohongshu (小红书). If there are no posts about your hotel or destination, you raise doubt. If there are posts from real guests or travel KOLs, you build the trust that drives bookings. See our dedicated Xiaohongshu marketing services page for the full approach.

Enable Chinese Digital Payments

Alipay and WeChat Pay are not optional for serious accommodation providers targeting Chinese guests. Beyond payments, WeChat integration allows you to communicate directly with guests before, during, and after their stay — the kind of direct, instant contact that Chinese travelers expect and that Airbnb failed to provide in its China years. See how WeChat marketing connects into this.

Address Safety and Trust Proactively

One of Airbnb’s consistent challenges in China was trust. Chinese consumers needed more reassurance than the platform’s design provided. For your business, this means being proactive: addressing the safety concerns Chinese tourists commonly raise in your Chinese-language marketing, your Xiaohongshu content, and your Ctrip listing. Transparency builds trust faster than any promotional message.

Airbnb Abroad: Still Very Much Used by Chinese Travelers

One important detail: while Airbnb failed in China domestically, Chinese travelers are among its most active global users for international trips. Chinese travelers booking Airbnb properties in Japan, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the USA have driven significant growth for the platform outside China.

This means that if you are an Airbnb host in a destination that attracts Chinese tourists, optimizing your listing for Chinese guests — Mandarin description, WeChat contact information, Chinese payment guidance — is worthwhile. The guest base is there. Understanding Douyin marketing also helps, because many Chinese travelers discover international rental properties through travel content on Douyin before they search on any booking platform.

Summary Table

Platform	Role	Priority for Hosts
Ctrip (Trip.com)	Primary booking platform for Chinese outbound	Essential
Xiaohongshu	Accommodation discovery and trust-building	Essential
WeChat Pay / Alipay	Payment and in-stay communication	Essential
Douyin	Awareness and inspiration	Important
Airbnb (international)	Secondary booking channel	Useful but not primary
Tujia / Meituan	Domestic China only	Not relevant for overseas hosts

FAQ

Did Airbnb fail in China?

Airbnb exited the Chinese domestic market in 2022 after a decade of struggling to compete with local platforms like Tujia and Meituan. The core issues were cultural product-market fit, regulatory complexity, and the speed advantage of domestic competitors. However, Airbnb continues to serve Chinese travelers booking accommodation abroad. More discussion on this at Reddit’s r/Marketing_China thread on Chinese tourist safety.

What platform replaced Airbnb in China?

Tujia (途家) leads the Chinese short-term rental market, followed by Meituan’s accommodation offering. Both are built around Chinese user behaviors: instant messaging, WeChat integration, fast response times, and seamless digital payment.

How do Chinese tourists book accommodation abroad in 2026?

Primarily through Ctrip (Trip.com), which dominates outbound travel booking. Airbnb is also used for international trips. Chinese travelers research accommodation heavily on Xiaohongshu before booking, meaning your Xiaohongshu presence often drives the decision before the booking platform is even opened.

What do Chinese guests expect from accommodation?

Fast communication via WeChat or messaging apps, Alipay or WeChat Pay acceptance, Mandarin-language support (even basic), and visible social proof in Chinese (Xiaohongshu posts, Ctrip reviews). Properties that provide these convert Chinese visitors at much higher rates.

Should I list my property on Ctrip to attract Chinese guests?

Yes. Ctrip is the primary booking platform for Chinese outbound travelers. If your property caters to tourists and is not on Ctrip, you are missing a major channel. Chinese Tourists Agency can help you set up and optimize your Ctrip presence as part of a broader China market strategy.

My Take

The Airbnb story in China is the clearest example of why you cannot export a Western platform and expect it to work. Chinese consumers already had Tujia and Meituan built specifically for them. Airbnb came in as a foreign brand and never solved the trust problem at scale. For any Western accommodation brand or property entering the Chinese guest market now, this is the real lesson: you are not just competing on product quality. You are competing for a spot inside digital systems that Chinese people already live in 24/7. Build inside the ecosystem, not next to it.

How Chinese Tourists Agency Can Help

We help boutique hotels, rental properties, and accommodation businesses build their Chinese guest pipeline through Ctrip, Fliggy, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat. Discover our full services.

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About Alex
Alex is a project manager at Chinese Tourist Agency, based in Shanghai for 10+ years, running digital campaigns for hotels, destinations, and tourism brands across Europe and Asia.