Top Destinations for Chinese Tourists in 2026: Full Rankings and Trends

Where Chinese People want or plan to travel ?
Who will get the Chinese RMB ?

Questions for Travel Entrepeneurs, CEO tourism and Directors.

Chinese Outbound Tourism in 2026: The Numbers You Need to Know

• 130 million+ outbound trips from China in 2025, on track to surpass the 2019 peak of 155 million
• Japan, Thailand and South Korea hold the top three spots by volume for the fifth year running
• Dubai has become one of the fastest-growing destinations for Chinese visitors, driven by visa-free access and aggressive Chinese-language marketing
• Southeast Asia dominates among younger, budget-savvy travelers. Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia are pulling real numbers now
• 70% of Chinese travelers now plan and book independently. The group tour era is not over, but it is no longer the story
• Xiaohongshu and Douyin are where destination decisions get made, long before any booking platform opens
• Countries that introduced visa-free access for Chinese nationals saw immediate, measurable surges in arrivals

Back in 2016, Japan had just taken the top spot from the USA as the favorite destination for Chinese tourists. The yen was cheap, and Chinese visitors were buying everything from thousand-dollar rice cookers to Louis Vuitton bags. Fast forward to 2026 and Japan is still number one, but almost everything else has changed. The traveler is younger, more independent, and much harder to impress. The platforms that influence decisions are entirely Chinese. And a whole new tier of destinations has entered the picture.

Here is where Chinese tourists are actually going this year, and what businesses need to understand about each market.

The Tier 1 Destinations: Consistent, High-Volume, Hard to Dislodge

Japan: Still Number One, for New Reasons

Japan has led Chinese outbound destination rankings for years. In 2016, the weak yen was the main driver. Today the yen is still relatively favorable, but that is not what is bringing people back. Chinese millennials and Gen Z travelers are coming for the food culture, the onsen (温泉) experiences, the ceramics workshops in Kyoto, the fishing villages in Hokkaido. Authenticity sells better than duty-free shopping. Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto remain the core circuit, but the smart traveler is now going further afield, and Japanese regional tourism boards are starting to notice.

Thailand: Volume King, and Rightfully So

Thailand gets it right on the fundamentals. Alipay and WeChat Pay are everywhere. Mandarin signage is common in tourist areas. Customer service has adapted to Chinese expectations over years of practice. Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai all deliver the combination of accessibility, value and visual appeal that performs well on Xiaohongshu. That last point matters more than most tourism marketers realize: if a destination does not generate beautiful, shareable content, younger Chinese travelers will go somewhere that does.

South Korea: K-Culture Meets Medical Tourism

Korea’s appeal is genuinely two-track. On one side, K-pop culture, fashion and cosmetics pull in younger travelers who have grown up watching Korean content. On the other side, medical tourism has become a serious revenue driver: cosmetic procedures, comprehensive health check-ups, dermatology treatments. Korean hospitals and clinics have built sophisticated systems around Chinese medical tourists, with Mandarin coordinators, dedicated recovery accommodation, and seamless payment. It is a model other destinations could learn from.

The Rising Tier

: Destinations That Have Earned Their Growth

Dubai: The Decade’s Biggest Tourism Success Story

Five years ago, the UAE barely registered on most Chinese travel wish lists. Today Dubai sits comfortably in the top ten, and it earned that position through deliberate effort. Visa-free access for Chinese passport holders, a significant Mandarin-language marketing push, WeChat Pay and Alipay integrated across major retail and hospitality venues, and a product that delivers exactly what Chinese visitors want: luxury, spectacle, world-class shopping and a sense of exclusivity. The Dubai Tourism board understood the Chinese market and invested in it properly. The results are there in the booking numbers.

Singapore: From Stopover to Destination

Singapore has always been a natural transit point for Chinese travelers heading into Southeast Asia. It has increasingly become somewhere people go specifically. High-income travelers are drawn by the safety, the food scene, the financial services, and the Chinese cultural presence that makes it feel familiar without being ordinary. It punches above its weight in the premium segment.

Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia: Southeast Asia’s Value Corridor

For younger Chinese travelers who want real experiences without paying European prices, these three countries have become genuine first choices rather than budget fallbacks. Vietnam in particular has had a remarkable rise on Chinese social platforms. Da Nang, Hoi An and Ha Long Bay generate extraordinary Xiaohongshu content, and that organic visibility has translated directly into arrivals. Destinations that win on Chinese social media win in real life. It is that simple now.

Long-Haul: Europe and Beyond

France: The Aspirational Constant

Paris is 巴黎 (Bālí) in Chinese, and those two characters carry decades of accumulated aspiration. The Paris 2024 Olympics gave France enormous visibility in China. France welcomed over 1 million Chinese visitors in 2024, a 26% jump from 2023, with more than half arriving as FIT travelers (Atout France data). The visitor mix has shifted significantly: fewer large tour groups, more independent travelers exploring Bordeaux wine routes, Loire Valley chateaux and Alpine ski resorts. Average daily spend by Chinese visitors in France now exceeds 2,800 euros per trip. Chinese consumers still account for a dominant share of global luxury purchases, and Paris remains the pilgrimage destination for many of those purchases.

Switzerland, Italy and the UK

Switzerland photographs beautifully, which in the Xiaohongshu era is a genuine competitive advantage. Italy’s combination of food, fashion and history works well across multiple Chinese traveler segments. The UK, despite its complexity, draws Chinese students, high-net-worth visitors and culture travelers in consistent numbers. All three are investing more intelligently in Chinese digital marketing than they were pre-COVID, and it is showing.

Africa: The Next Frontier

Still a niche, but the direction is clear. China-Africa ties are deepening across trade, infrastructure and now tourism. Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa are seeing growing interest from affluent Chinese travelers seeking experiences that feel genuinely different. The Serengeti has become a Xiaohongshu content goldmine. Operators who establish themselves in this segment now will have an advantage that is difficult to replicate once the market matures.

What All the Winning Destinations Have in Common

Looking across every destination that has grown strongly with Chinese visitors, the same factors appear every time. Easy visa access comes first, without exception. Every country that simplified entry for Chinese nationals saw booking numbers rise almost immediately. After that comes payment infrastructure: Alipay and WeChat Pay are expected, not appreciated. Presence on Chinese social platforms follows. Destinations with active Xiaohongshu and Douyin content consistently outperform those without, regardless of how good the product actually is.

Safety perception matters more than most Western tourism marketers expect. Chinese travelers research safety extensively before booking. Addressing safety concerns proactively in Chinese-language content is a direct conversion driver that many destinations overlook. And Mandarin touchpoints, even basic ones, signal something important: that Chinese visitors are genuinely welcome, not just tolerated.

For individual businesses, the implications are the same. A real Chinese outbound market strategy goes beyond translation. It means being visible on the platforms where Chinese travelers actually make decisions, before they ever leave home.

Top Stuff you guys Asks me … 

Why has Dubai become so popular with Chinese tourists?

😉 

A combination of visa-free access, targeted Mandarin-language marketing, Chinese digital payment integration and a luxury product that aligns with Chinese traveler preferences. Dubai invested in the Chinese market deliberately, and the results followed.

Are Chinese tourists coming back to Europe?

YES ! 😉

Yes. France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK are all seeing growing visitor numbers through 2025 and 2026, supported by improving flight connectivity and faster visa processing. The traveler profile has shifted toward more independent, experience-focused visitors.

What do Chinese tourists look for when choosing a destination?

Easy visa access, Chinese payment options, safety, visually compelling experiences that work well on Xiaohongshu, and proximity to quality shopping. Independent travelers increasingly prioritize authenticity and differentiation over standard landmark tourism.

How can my business attract more Chinese visitors?

Start by being visible on Xiaohongshu and Douyin before tourists plan their trip. Make sure Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted. Develop Mandarin-language content. Chinese Tourists Agency builds and executes these strategies for hotels, destinations and brands across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Oliver’s Take

Here is what the destination rankings do not show: proximity wins in the short term, prestige wins in the long term. Chinese travelers fly to Thailand and Japan more often. But the traveler who saves for a European trip? They spend significantly more per day and leave more valuable reviews. European destinations should stop competing on volume with Southeast Asia and start competing on experience. France does not need to beat Bali on numbers. It needs to own the once-in-a-lifetime slot in the Chinese traveler’s mind.

This topic generates real debate among tourism and marketing professionals. The r/Marketing_China community on Reddit is where practitioners share what is actually working and what is not. Join the conversation and share your own experience there.

How Chinese Tourists Agency Can Help

Chinese Tourists Agency works with destinations, tourism boards, and regional authorities to grow Chinese arrivals through targeted digital strategies on Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Baidu. See our destination marketing services.

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About the author: Oliver is the CEO and founder of Chinese Tourists Agency,

over a decade of hands-on experience helping international businesses break into the Chinese tourism and consumer market. He has worked directly with hotels, luxury brands, real estate developers and national tourism boards across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, developing digital strategies on WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin and Baidu that generate measurable visitor growth.

Oliver speaks regularly on Chinese consumer behavior and outbound tourism trends, and leads a team of China market specialists based across multiple continents.