The Hard Truth About the Chinese Market: Most of You Are Not Ready
78% of international tourism brands targeting Chinese travelers have no Chinese social media presence. Zero. They have a website, a brochure, maybe an Instagram account, and a dream. That is not a China strategy. That is a hobby.
The Chinese market is not hard to understand. It requires consistency, patience, and actual presence on Chinese platforms. Most international brands offer none of the three. Then they wonder why nothing works.
Here is the hard truth: most of you are not ready. And the gap between ready and not is not a small one.
What the data says
COTRI’s latest data on Chinese outbound tourism is not flattering. 67% of international brands targeting Chinese tourists have no Mandarin-speaking staff. Not one person. They rely on auto-translate and optimism. 43% of what agencies review as “China marketing strategies” consists of a translated PDF and the assumption that visibility will follow.
Here is the one that hurts: the Chinese market requires a minimum of six consistent months before meaningful results appear. According to research from the China Tourism Academy, 89% of international brands quit before month four. They invest two months, see nothing, declare the market “difficult,” and pull out. The market is not difficult. Their timeline is wrong.
McKinsey China’s 2025 consumer report confirms what operators on the ground already know: the Chinese market rewards brands that show up consistently over time. It punishes brands that treat it as a short campaign. Most Western brands are running sprints in a market that only respects marathons.
What you are actually doing
You attended a trade show in Berlin. Someone from a Chinese travel agency took your brochure. You followed up by email (see the other article). Nothing happened. You concluded that Chinese clients are “hard to reach.” They are not hard to reach. You are reaching them in the wrong place, in the wrong language, with the wrong message.
Or you hired an intern to “manage the WeChat account.” She posts once every three weeks. The last post was a stock photo of your property with “Welcome to our beautiful resort.” Three likes. Two from your own staff. The intern left. The account went dark. You told yourself you “tried WeChat.”
You did not try WeChat. You tried nothing, and called it WeChat.
Your Douyin presence is nonexistent. Your Xiaohongshu account has four posts from 2023. Your website has a Chinese language option that leads to a machine-translated page that no Chinese user trusts. This is not a China strategy. This is a list of things you checked off to feel like you tried.
What working looks like
- A 12-month commitment with clear KPIs. Not a three-month test. Twelve months minimum.
- Mandarin-speaking staff or a partner who handles all Chinese-language communication without you having to Google Translate every message.
- Active presence on at least two Chinese platforms with content posted multiple times per week, not multiple times per month.
- A reputation management strategy built for Chinese platforms where Chinese travelers actually read reviews.
Brands that get results work with people who understand Chinese digital marketing at a professional level. Not a freelancer in Shanghai who also manages Instagram accounts. A team with the infrastructure, the relationships, and the track record.
Stop. Get help.
Readiness is not about budget. It is about commitment and the right partner. You can get ready in six months with the right support. Without it, you can spend three years and still be at square one.
The brands that figured this out did not do it alone. Stop wasting time. Talk to us about your China strategy.
About Marcus Zhan
Marcus Zhan has spent 12 years watching international brands try to crack the Chinese market. Some succeed. Most do not. The difference is usually simpler than they think. LinkedIn
