Travel TrendsChinese travel surges almost 400% in 2024, with notable shifts in preferred destinations compared to 2023.

Top destinations for Chinese travellers in 2024

By Travel Weekly Asia

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Jun 13, 2024

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Korea leapfrogged from the 3rd most popular destination in 2023 to the #1 spot in 2024, seeing a massive 652% year-over-year surge in bookings from Chinese travellers.

Korea leapfrogged from the 3rd most popular destination in 2023 to the #1 spot in 2024, seeing a massive 652% year-over-year surge in bookings from Chinese travellers. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Teerapat

After a slow restart in 2023 due to China's delayed easing of travel restrictions, outbound Chinese travel is surging by 392% in 2024 compared to last year according to Sabre booking data as of 31 March 2024.

This massive rebound reflects pent-up demand from the world's largest outbound travel market, which saw 155 million international trips and US$245 billion in spending pre-pandemic.

While overall Chinese outbound bookings have skyrocketed year-over-year, there have been notable shifts in the most popular destinations for 2024 versus 2023.

Most popular global destinations among Chinese travellers

Korea - #1 in 2024 | #3 in 2023 (+652%)
Japan - #2 in 2024 | #6 in 2023 (+990%)
United States - #3 in 2024 | #1 in 2023 (+211%)
Thailand - #4 in 2024 | #2 in 2023 (+339%)
Hong Kong - #5 in 2024 | #4 in 2023 (+414%)
Taiwan - #6 in 2024 | #5 in 2023 (+326%)
Australia - #7 in 2024 | #14 in 2023 (+1008%)
Singapore - #8 in 2024 | #9 in 2023 (+466%)
Malaysia - #9 in 2024 | #18 in 2023 (+651%)
Italy - #10 in 2024 | #7 in 2023 (+232%)
Vietnam - #11 in 2024 | #11 in 2023 (+392%)
Indonesia - #12 in 2024 | #19 in 2023 (+596%)
Canada - #13 in 2024 | #8 in 2023 (+248%)
Philippines - #14 in 2024 | #12 in 2023 (+381%)
Macao - #15 in 2024 | #44 in 2023 (+2304%)
United Kingdom - #16 in 2024 | #22 in 2023 (+525%)
Spain - #17 in 2024 | #10 in 2023 (+239%)
Laos - #18 in 2024 | #21 in 2023 (+431%)
Russia - #19 in 2024 | #26 in 2023 (+758%)
Germany - #20 in 2024 | #17 in 2023 (+329%)
United Arab Emirates - #21 in 2024 | #15 in 2023 (+272%)
New Zealand - #22 in 2024 | #24 in 2023 (+442%)
France - #23 in 2024 | #20 in 2023 (+309%)
Cambodia - #24 in 2024 | #13 in 2023 (+208%)
India - #25 in 2024 | #27 in 2023 (+520%)
Egypt - #26 in 2024 | #25 in 2023 (+354%)
South Africa - #27 in 2024 | #16 in 2023 (+139%)
Turkey - #28 in 2024 | #28 in 2023 (+354%)
Kazakhstan - #29 in 2024 | #40 in 2023 (+598%)
Bangladesh - #30 in 2024 | #46 in 2023 (+603%)

Top APAC destinations among Chinese travellers

Seoul - #1 in 2024 | #1 in 2023 (+602%)
Tokyo - #2 in 2024 | #5 in 2023 (+728%)
Hong Kong - #3 in 2024 | #3 in 2023 (+414%)
Bangkok - #4 in 2024 | #2 in 2023 (+295%)
Taipei - #5 in 2024 | #4 in 2023 (+330%)
Singapore - #6 in 2024 | #6 in 2023 (+466%)
Osaka - #7 in 2024 | #9 in 2023 (+2181%)
Sydney - #8 in 2024 | #8 in 2023 (+1324%)
Kuala Lumpur - #9 in 2024 | #7 in 2023 (+659%)
Macao - #10 in 2024 | #10 in 2023 (+2304%)

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