Who Are The Most Popular Chinese Travel Influencers?

Working with Chinese travel influencers is one of the most direct ways to reach outbound travelers. I’ve been in this market since 2012 and the shift is clear: 155 million Chinese tourists are projected to travel abroad in 2025, surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. Over 70% of them use Xiaohongshu (RED) or Douyin to decide where to go before they even open a booking app. If your destination or brand isn’t in their feed, you simply don’t exist for them.

This guide covers who the top Chinese travel KOLs are, how they work, and what brands should do to collaborate with them effectively.

Top Chinese Travel KOLs & Tourism Market Overview (May 2026)

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China’s Outbound Tourism: Key Numbers

The Chinese travel market has fully recovered. Here are four data points worth knowing:

• 155 million outbound trips projected in 2025, above 2019 levels (source: China Tourism Academy)
• 76% of Chinese travelers book less than one month in advance, often after seeing content on RED or Douyin
• 70%+ say social media is their main source of travel inspiration
• Micro-influencers (20K–500K followers) regularly outperform mega-KOLs on engagement rate, often by 3x

Brands in luxury, hospitality, and destination marketing are paying close attention. The ROI on a well-placed KOL post can be significant, especially when it targets a specific niche like adventure travel, wellness, or premium gastronomy.

What Makes These KOLs Different

1. They blend niches: Top KOLs like 莫莉 (Molly) mix travel with fashion, while 紀卜心 (Ji Bu Xin) combines outdoor gear reviews with adventure guides.
2. They build trust through honesty: Micro-influencers like B太 (B Tai) win loyal audiences by exposing scams and sharing budget tips, which Gen Z travelers value a lot.
3. They tell cultural stories: 野人七號部落 (Wild Tribe 7) documents indigenous cultures and critiques overtourism, giving content real substance.
4. They master platforms: Most prioritize Douyin for short video and Xiaohongshu for detailed itineraries, adapting content to each platform’s algorithm.

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Key Strategies for Brands in 2026

• Work with mid-tier KOLs: Nano and micro-influencers (20K–500K followers) often deliver higher engagement and better ROI because their audiences are specific and loyal.
• Run cross-platform campaigns: Combine Douyin livestreams with Xiaohongshu posts for multi-stage traveler journeys, discovery first, then research, then booking.
• Focus on cultural fit: Campaigns that connect with trends like TCM-inspired wellness or eco-tourism consistently outperform generic destination ads.

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Emerging Trends in Travel KOL Marketing

• AI-based matching: Platforms like AIE 網紅評測數據庫 use data to pair brands with KOLs based on audience demographics and past campaign results.
• VR destination previews: KOLs like Carbonated Drinks Bye Bye experiment with 360° video content to give followers a taste of destinations before booking.
• Government partnerships: Hong Kong’s tourism board now works with global KOLs to promote “deep tourism,” mixing heritage and modern experiences.

China’s Travel Market is Back

China’s travel sector has fully recovered from the pandemic years. The pent-up demand built over three years is real, and Chinese citizens are eager to explore both their own country and the world again. Domestic travel figures from the China Tourism Research Academy point to 5.5 billion domestic trips in 2025, with revenue reaching roughly $690 billion (5 trillion RMB).

Luxury and beauty brands were the first to notice this shift. Many have already repositioned their China strategies around domestic tourism peaks and outbound travel recovery. The numbers suggest domestic tourist counts and revenue could match or exceed pre-pandemic levels, which is good news for any brand active in the Chinese market.

Chinese Social Media and the Travel Industry

The Chinese social media space is unlike anything in the West. WeChat, with over one billion users, handles everything from messaging to payments, making it central for travel businesses. Douyin drives massive travel inspiration through short videos, especially among younger audiences. Weibo is where real-time discussions happen and where travel experiences get shared publicly, including both positive reviews and complaints.

Platforms like Mafengwo and Qyer serve as travel-specific communities where users share itineraries and get personalized recommendations. Brands targeting Chinese consumers need to be present on the platforms that match their audience, not just the biggest platforms.

Top Chinese Travel Influencers

Here are some of the most influential Chinese travel KOLs, each with a distinct style and audience.

Molly (貓力)

Molly has built a major name in the Chinese travel world. She has over 6.8 million fans on Weibo who follow her travels and her strong aesthetic sense. Her content mixes independent travel with fashion-forward styling, and she keeps herself in shape, which is part of her personal brand.

She works with luxury brands like Tiffany and La Mer, and she’s known for being an independent traveler who takes her health seriously. She promotes Chinese fashion labels and collaborates with professional stylists. Among travel influencers with a strong visual style, she stands out consistently.

Kiki (房琪Kiki)

Kiki, known on Douyin as @房琪kiki, has built an audience of over 23 million followers by showcasing China’s varied landscapes through a poetic lens. She uses chengyu (成语), traditional four-character idioms, to narrate her experiences, which creates a distinct voice that connects with Chinese viewers on a cultural level. Her posts push people to discover lesser-known destinations and often go viral for their visual quality.

Her brand partnership with Hangzhou beauty label Florasis is one of the better examples of KOL integration done right. The campaign centered on Florasis’ heritage, and the resulting short video promoted their Flawless Jade powder while feeling genuinely tied to the influencer’s identity.

Zhang and Liang

Zhang and Liang have built a following around their travel series “侣行” (lǚ xíng). This is not typical travel content. They visit places that most creators avoid: Oymyakon in Russia, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, and even the Chernobyl nuclear site. Their approach is grounded in authentic storytelling, showing the everyday lives of people in these regions rather than just dramatic visuals.

Their content found a home on Youku, and the series secured a major sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz. It’s a good example of how long-form, credible storytelling can attract premium brand partners even in unusual niches.

September (九月)

September started posting on Douyin in 2020 and built her audience around something specific: Chinese cultural practices, not tourist attractions. She has learned to craft silver headsets from the Miao minority, documented datiehua (a traditional iron-spark firework technique), and turned lychee peel into incense. Each video starts with gathering raw materials and walks viewers through the full process.

For brands that want to connect with the guochao trend (national pride, cultural revival), September is one of the most credible voices on Douyin. She speaks directly to the values of younger Chinese consumers who want to see their own culture taken seriously.

Phoney Chan

Phoney Chan brings a fashion-first approach to travel. She runs her own brand, PHO Studio, and promotes Chinese fashion labels like Uma Wang and Dongliang. Active on Weibo, she stands out through her visual style and the fact that her content feels personal rather than sponsored, even when it is.

桃巫奇edie

桃巫奇edie is a key opinion leader and virtual influencer active in China’s travel space. Known for sharing insider tips and destination recommendations, they engage with followers across social platforms and build content around specific travel styles.

Captain Han (韩船长漂流记)

Captain Han set off on a solo sailing voyage at age 37. He has crossed the Indian Ocean toward the Middle East and is currently charting the Balkan coast, including Greece, Albania, and Croatia. His content is extreme by design. He became the first Chinese person to jump from Mostar’s Old Bridge, a 24-meter drop above the sea, a tradition fewer than 2,000 people have attempted since 1964. The video got 391,000 likes on Douyin.

Captain Han appears in Chinese reality TV and magazines. He’s not a typical travel influencer, he’s more of a documentary subject who happens to also manage his own social presence.

How to Collaborate with Chinese Travel Bloggers

Working with Chinese travel KOLs takes more preparation than a standard influencer campaign. Here’s what actually matters:

Know the Platforms

Each platform serves a different function. Douyin drives discovery through short video. Xiaohongshu builds trust through detailed posts and community reviews. Weibo handles real-time buzz and public conversation. Youku and Bilibili work for longer documentary-style content. Pick the right platform before you pick the influencer.

Cultural and Regulatory Awareness

Know China’s advertising regulations before you start. Including Chinese cultural values in your campaign is not optional, it’s the baseline. A campaign that ignores local sensitivities or uses the wrong visual codes will fail, and sometimes cause a public backlash that’s hard to recover from.

Set Clear Expectations

Agree on deliverables, timelines, and content rights upfront. Language differences and different business norms in China can cause real misunderstandings. Giving influencers creative freedom within a clear structure produces better content than over-scripted briefs.

Time Campaigns Around Chinese Holidays

Chinese festivals, Golden Week, and national holidays are your best windows for travel content. These moments naturally generate high engagement and search volume. Plan your campaigns around them, not around your own calendar.

Build Long-Term Relationships

One-off campaigns rarely build the trust needed to drive bookings. Regular collaboration with the same influencers, over months or even years, produces content that feels genuine and builds real credibility with their audiences. Create regular promotional posts, promote travel packages or specific destinations, and let the relationship develop naturally.

Work with Chinese Travel Influencers through CTA

There are many strong Chinese travel influencers, and working with the right ones can make a measurable difference for your brand. From Molly to Captain Han, these creators each reach specific audiences with specific interests. The key is matching the right voice to the right message.

If you want to run KOL campaigns that actually convert, contact us. We work with destinations, hotels, and brands to identify the right influencers, manage collaborations, and track results on Chinese platforms.

CTA Services: Douyin, RED, and WeChat Marketing

At Chinese Tourists Agency, we run full-service campaigns on China’s main social platforms:

• Douyin: Short video campaigns, KOL seeding, and paid traffic to drive discovery and direct bookings
• Xiaohongshu (RED): Content creation, UGC activation, and community management to build trust with travel-minded Chinese consumers
• WeChat: Official account management, mini-program development, and CRM for loyalty and repeat visits

We’ve connected global brands with Chinese travel KOLs since 2012. Get in touch and we’ll show you what’s worked for destinations and brands similar to yours.

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Pedro Wang is the founder of Chinese Tourists Agency (CTA), a Chinese digital marketing agency based in Shanghai. He has worked with tourism brands, destinations, and hospitality groups in the Chinese market since 2012.