Chinese Wedding Tourism

Chinese wedding tourism is a real market with real numbers behind it. In 2024, the Chinese domestic wedding market was valued at over 1.8 trillion yuan (roughly $250 billion USD), according to Statista. The destination wedding and pre-wedding photo segment is growing inside that, driven by urban couples who want something their parents never had: a trip that is also a wedding.

For hotels, destinations, and wedding service providers outside China, this represents a specific and well-funded market segment. Understanding what Chinese couples want and how to reach them is the first step.

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Chinese Wedding Tourism: 2025 overview

What is wedding tourism?

Wedding tourism means couples traveling to special locations for:

• Pre-wedding photoshoots (旅拍, the most common type)
• Wedding ceremonies
• Honeymoons
• Family celebrations abroad

In China, destination weddings and wedding photo trips have become a standard part of urban wedding culture, especially for millennial and Gen Z couples. A couple that gets married in France or Bali has more to share on Xiaohongshu than one that stays in the local hotel. That social dimension is a real driver.

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Top wedding tourism destinations for Chinese couples (2025)

International

1. Bali, Indonesia – Romantic beaches, affordable luxury, well-organized wedding agencies serving Chinese couples
2. Maldives – Premium, exotic, iconic for honeymoons
3. Santorini, Greece – Aesthetic blue and white cliffside photos that perform extremely well on Xiaohongshu
4. Paris, France – Fashion, romance, prestige, and the most recognized luxury setting in Chinese popular culture
5. Kyoto, Japan – Elegant, traditional, seasonal beauty (cherry blossom, autumn foliage)

Domestic

1. Sanya (Hainan) – “China’s Maldives,” top-tier resort weddings
2. Dali and Lijiang (Yunnan) – Boho-style, mountain backdrops
3. Qingdao and Xiamen – European-influenced coastal cities
4. Chengdu and Tibet – Unique cultural wedding settings
5. Hangzhou and Suzhou – Classical garden elegance

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Why weddings matter so much in Chinese culture

Wedding is taken very seriously in China. It is one of the most important milestones in Chinese life, both as a personal event and as a public statement of wealth and social standing. Getting married abroad has become a sign of prosperity.

Traditional marriage customs are softening in urban areas, especially among younger generations. In 2022, 12 million couples got married in China, a number that has been growing steadily. The mid-1980s baby boom created a large cohort of people now at prime marrying age. This new generation wants an exceptional wedding, not the standard local banquet. The average expenditure for weddings in major Chinese cities is around 12,000 euros, and that figure is significantly higher for couples choosing destination weddings abroad.

An example that shows the scale: Liu Yaqiong and Zhang Yin spent 85,000 euros for a Western-style wedding with a Cartier ring and a 15-table banquet at a 5-star hotel in Beijing. They had previously shot a 4-minute couple video in Phuket, screened during the banquet, which cost 1,200 euros. When you love it, you don’t count the cost.

Expert tips: best channels to attract Chinese wedding couples

1. Chinese social media: WeChat and RED (Xiaohongshu)
2. SEO and SEM on Baidu
3. Press releases in Chinese media
4. Dedicated blogs and travel forums
5. Chinese influencers (KOLs) specialized in weddings and lifestyle

Most popular wedding destinations for Chinese couples

If Chinese couples decide to hold their ceremony abroad, they often spend months or years in preparation. Everything must be perfect.

Bali is a top choice, and not just for Chinese couples. It is one of the most popular wedding destinations on earth. For Chinese couples, it is particularly convenient: relatively close to China, and local wedding agencies have specialized in Chinese clients. They offer complete packages: photoshoots, ceremony organization, hair and makeup for the entire wedding party.

France is also a top destination. Paris is the obvious choice, but the Pays de la Loire region became well known through the Chinese TV show 一帘幽梦 (Dreams Link), which drove significant wedding tourism to the city of Tours. Provence is popular for honeymoons. Chinese couples are willing to spend over 50,000 euros for a trip through the famous lavender fields.

Angela Yeung (Angelababy), a Chinese actress and model, married actor Huang Xiaoming in a ceremony that cost around $31 million. That kind of reference sets expectations in Chinese wedding culture.

Wealthy Chinese couples also choose the Caribbean for honeymoons, combining beaches with business and shopping stops in the US. Other destinations popular for wedding shoots and videos include Prague, Phuket, New Zealand, and Italy.

How to reach Chinese wedding couples online

Virtual presence is essential. Chinese couples, before confirming any booking or even reaching out to an agency, will research you thoroughly online. They check social networks, opinion leader accounts, and wedding-specific forums. If they find nothing, they move on to the next option.

Baidu is the search engine leader in China with over 80% market share. Like Google it offers maps, images, video, and forums where users share opinions and recommendations.

Baidu SEO is your first step

Your website must rank on Baidu for Chinese couples searching for wedding destinations. The wedding industry in China is very competitive online. You need to be on the first page. Your website should be hosted in China or on a fast CDN, written in Mandarin, and meet Baidu’s technical standards (which differ from Google’s).

Online PR builds reputation quickly

Use Chinese press and media placements to build your name. If you want visibility faster, run an SEM campaign on Baidu. Pay-per-click puts your site at the top of results immediately when Chinese couples search for keywords related to your destination or services.

Partnering with a Chinese wedding agency can save time and money if you don’t yet have an established reputation or customer base in China. Word-of-mouth in the wedding sector travels fast, both through personal networks and online reviews. Your e-reputation must be actively managed.

A high-potential market

Today, there are an estimated 50 million Chinese who can afford destination weddings and luxury honeymoons. 50,000 euros for a unique trip to France is, for this segment, the trip of a lifetime. For you, it is a very high-value booking with real growth prospects as the market continues to expand.

What GMA does for wedding tourism operators

GMA helps wedding venues, destination operators, and luxury hospitality brands reach Chinese couples through Douyin, RED, and WeChat.

• Douyin: emotional wedding video campaigns, before-and-after travel stories
• RED (Xiaohongshu): the main platform where Chinese brides research venues and destinations, KOL wedding content
• WeChat: official accounts, lead capture, direct inquiry funnels

All services: chinesetouristagency.com/our-services/

Summary table

Destination	Main appeal for Chinese couples	Average spend
Bali	Affordable luxury, proximity, agencies specialized in Chinese couples	15,000 to 30,000 EUR
Paris and Provence	Romance, prestige, fashion references	30,000 to 80,000 EUR
Santorini	Iconic aesthetics for RED content	20,000 to 50,000 EUR
Kyoto	Traditional beauty, seasonal photography	10,000 to 25,000 EUR
Maldives	Premium honeymoon, exclusivity	20,000 to 60,000 EUR

Also read

• Why social media is essential to attract Chinese tourists
• 10 tips to attract Chinese tourists in 2025

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Want to attract Chinese wedding couples to your destination?
We are Experts in Chinese digital tourism.

Contact us now for a free consultation or a campaign to meet your goals.

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Oliver Verot is the founder of GMA (Gentlemen Marketing Agency), based in Shanghai. He has worked with wedding venues and honeymoon destinations across Europe, Asia, and the Indian Ocean to reach Chinese couples since 2012. Contact Oliver directly.