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RESEARCH

Chinese Outbound Travel Trade Survey

A bi-annual survey of Chinese travel trade professionals currently selling outbound trips — covering market sentiment, B2B engagement, destination trends, and technology adoption.

What This Report Is

Dragon Trail's Chinese Outbound Travel Trade Survey is a recurring primary research publication that captures the views of travel agents and travel trade professionals currently selling outbound travel for mainland Chinese agencies. Published bi-annually since 2023, it tracks market sentiment, sales performance, B2B engagement preferences, and technology adoption across consistent survey waves.

Unlike consumer-facing surveys, this series provides direct supply-side evidence from the people who sell and package Chinese outbound travel. It is designed for overseas tourism boards, hotels, airlines, attractions, and destination marketing organizations seeking to understand how to work effectively with the Chinese travel trade.

Each edition includes a themed deep-dive section — covering topics such as a specific world region, emerging travel niche, or technology trend — making it a practical reference for any brand or destination seeking to engage Chinese travel professionals.

Latest Report

JULY 2025

Expert Voices to Guide the Travel Experience

Based on a survey of 280 Chinese travel trade professionals conducted in June 2025, this edition reveals a broadly positive market outlook — with 61% of travel agents saying outbound business improved in H1 2025 compared to 2024. Key findings cover market status, B2B engagement, a deep-dive on Europe, and rapid AI adoption across Chinese travel agencies.

6 KEY INSIGHTS

  1. 61% of travel agents say China's outbound market has improved in H1 2025 vs 2024
  2. Western Europe surpassed Southeast Asia as the no. 2 sales region after East Asia
  3. Face-to-face experiences (offline training, FAM trips) remain the most valued B2B channel — 90% of agents have taken an outbound FAM trip since China reopened
  4. Strong correlation between active B2B outreach by a destination and its perceived sales potential
  5. Europe market profile: Gen-Z couples, mid-range budgets, independent or customized travel, culture-focused
  6. 82% of surveyed travel agencies are already using AI — intelligent travel assistants and translation lead adoption
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Methodology

Panel: Dragon Trail International Outbound Travel Agency Panel · N ≈ ~300 valid responses per edition
COMPANY TYPE
Travel agency
66%
OTA
16%
Customized/themed operators
16%
MICE operator
2%
REGION
East China
36%
North China
30%
South China
20%
Northeast China
5%
Central China
4%
Southwest China
4%

Survey conducted 17–23 June 2025. Respondents were strictly vetted; invalid responses removed via data cleaning.

Past Reports

January 2025

January 2025

N = 273

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September 2024

September 2024

N = 271

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March 2024

March 2024

N = 285

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September 2023

September 2023

N = 263

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March 2023

March 2023

N = 258

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