Douyin Ads for Tourism: How to start Advertising on Douyin?

Finding the right channel for your travel ads in the Chinese market takes some work. Douyin is where you need to be. With over 700 million daily active users in 2025, it’s the main place where Chinese travelers discover their next destination. This article walks you through exactly how to use Douyin to bring more tourists to your property.

Why Douyin for Tourism Ads?

Douyin is not just big. It’s the main discovery channel for Chinese travelers in 2025. According to Xinhua, over 60% of Chinese outbound tourists say short videos influenced their destination choice. The platform’s “Daka” feature alone generates more than one trillion views per year, mostly from users sharing and watching travel content.

Three data points worth knowing going into 2026:

• Douyin hit 700 million daily active users in China by end of 2024 (ByteDance internal data).
• Travel content on Douyin sees an average engagement rate of 8.5%, far above Western platforms.
• China’s outbound tourism reached 130 million trips in 2024, with Douyin cited as a top planning tool by young travelers aged 22-35.

Key Benefits of Advertising on Douyin

User Generated Content and High Engagement

Douyin’s “Daka” culture means travelers love to share videos of places they visit. When a guest posts a video at your hotel and it gets traction, suddenly millions know about you for free. This kind of organic reach is impossible to buy at the same cost on any other platform. Videos showing real experiences drive high engagement and genuine interest in booking.

Wide Range of Ad Formats

Douyin gives you several ad types to work with. In-Feed Ads run up to 60 seconds with a call-to-action button. Brand Takeover Ads appear the moment someone opens the app. TopView Ads hold the top spot for 24 hours. Hashtag Challenges and Branded Effects pull users into creating content around your campaign. Each format serves a different goal, from quick awareness to deep engagement.

Direct E-Commerce Integration

You can sell directly on Douyin. Tourism brands create booking pages right inside the app. A user watches your hotel video and books a room in three taps. ByteDance’s algorithm shows your ads to people who already watch travel content, so you’re reaching people who are actively looking for their next trip.

Influencer Collaborations

Working with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) makes a real difference in tourism. The right travel influencer can show your destination in a 60-second video that converts better than any banner ad. Look for creators who travel regularly and whose audience matches your target market. Airbnb used this approach effectively during the pandemic with Douyin livestreams, keeping their brand top of mind even when travel was restricted.

Douyin’s Audience: Gen Z and Millennials

One in three Douyin users is under 26. They spend an average of 80 minutes per day on the app. This group plans trips based on what they see in their feed. They respond to visual content showing real experiences, not polished brochures. If your destination looks exciting in a 30-second clip, they will add it to their list.

ByteDance’s targeting tools let you reach these users with precision. You can target by age, interests, location, and viewing habits. Someone who watches beach destination videos daily is a natural audience for your coastal resort ad.

Steps to Launch a Douyin Ad Campaign

1. Set clear goals. More website visits, direct bookings, or brand awareness all need a different approach. Pick one main objective before spending anything.

2. Map your audience. Use ByteDance’s data to identify who is most likely to book with you. Age, interests, and travel behavior all factor in.

3. Choose the right ad format. In-Feed Ads work well for driving direct bookings. Hashtag Challenges build brand awareness at scale. TopView Ads grab attention for major campaign launches.

4. Work with KOLs. Find influencers based in or covering your destination. Their audience trusts them. A strong KOL recommendation converts better than most paid formats.

5. Manage with OceanEngine. This is ByteDance’s ad management platform. It gives you detailed analytics, A/B testing tools, and real-time performance data. Run your first test in week four and adjust based on actual numbers.

Practical Considerations

To run ads on Douyin, you need a valid business license, a Chinese mobile number and bank account, and a budget of roughly $250 for setup plus $750 to start your first campaign. Plan three weeks for the approval process before your ads go live.

Some industries cannot advertise on Douyin, including tobacco and competing social platforms. Content must respect Chinese cultural sensitivities. Ads that align with local values perform significantly better than generic international campaigns.

External sources worth reading: Xinhua News covers Douyin’s role in China’s travel recovery, and Ctrip’s travel reports show how Douyin-driven discovery translates into actual bookings on major OTAs.

Why Your Chinese Digital Presence Matters

Running Douyin ads is only part of the picture. Chinese travelers research across multiple channels before booking. Here’s what you actually need:

• Chinese website with ICP license and China hosting (Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud): without this, your site loads slowly or not at all in China, and trust evaporates.
• Douyin: the main discovery channel today. If you’re not there, you don’t exist for a large chunk of young Chinese travelers.
• Xiaohongshu (XHS/RED): where trust is built. Reviews, real photos, honest guest stories. This is where people decide if they believe the hype.
• Baidu SEO and PPC: organic search still drives traffic. Paid search captures intent at the moment people are actively planning.
• WeChat: loyalty and repeat bookings. Once someone follows your Official Account, you have a direct line to them for promotions and updates.

Check out our full guide on Douyin marketing in China, and our overview of Xiaohongshu marketing to build a complete presence across channels. Our team at CTA, your Chinese digital marketing agency, can help you put it all together.

Quick Reference: Douyin Ad Formats for Tourism

Format	Best For	Length
In-Feed Ads	Direct bookings, traffic	Up to 60 seconds
Brand Takeover	Mass awareness, launches	Up to 60 seconds
TopView	Big campaign moments	Up to 60 seconds
Hashtag Challenge	User-generated content, reach	Ongoing
Branded Effects	Engagement, recall	Ongoing

FAQ

How much does it cost to advertise on Douyin?

Getting started requires about $250 for the initial setup fee and roughly $750 to fund your first campaign. After that, you can scale based on results. CPC and CPM rates vary depending on competition in the tourism sector. The good news is that Douyin’s targeting tools mean you’re spending on people who are already interested in travel, not a random audience. You get more out of every dollar compared to broad display advertising.

Do I need a Chinese business license to run Douyin ads?

Yes, Douyin requires a valid business license to set up an ad account. You also need a Chinese mobile number and bank account. This is not as complicated as it sounds. Many international tourism brands work with a local agency partner who handles the registration process on their behalf. It’s the fastest way to get your campaign running without dealing with the paperwork yourself. Expect about three weeks from registration to your first live ad.

What type of content works best for tourism on Douyin?

Short, real videos that show the actual experience. Room tours, views from the property, local food, the feeling of being there. Overly produced content actually performs worse because Douyin users can spot it instantly and scroll past. The best-performing tourism content feels like something a real traveler posted. Pair this with a clear call to action linking directly to your booking page, and you have a formula that converts.

How long before I see results from Douyin ads?

Plan for a four-week warm-up period. The first few weeks are about testing: which format, which audience, which creative gets the best response. After that, you have real data to optimize against. Most hotels and tourism brands see meaningful engagement improvements by week six and measurable booking uplift by month three. The key is not to judge too early. Let the algorithm learn, then scale what works.

Ready to Start?

Douyin is where Chinese travelers discover the world. If your property is not showing up in their feed, someone else’s is. The opportunity is real, and the tools are there. You just need to use them. Our team has run Douyin campaigns for tourism brands across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and we know what works. Visit our services page to see how we can help you get started.

Marcus Zhan is a digital strategist at CTA with over 10 years of experience helping international brands grow in China. He specializes in Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Chinese SEO.