Travel trends 2025

Unveiling the Latest Travel Trends for 2025

Local governments across the country are promoting tourism, introducing many lesser-known cities with distinctive charm. Travellers’ expectations now go beyond spectacular scenery; they also want a tangible sense of experience. Many travel to a city for a particular dish, and beyond the everyday street atmosphere they enjoy the warmth of a strange city. Others avoid popular sights and crowds, opting for a laid-back, “low-key” trip to fully relax. Personalised, immersive travel is also appealing: dressing in traditional costume at scenic spots, staying in distinctive residences, strolling through local markets and residential neighbourhoods... These are all ways to feel the “warmth” of an unfamiliar city. In short, it is all about “experience.”

“Reverse travel”, which emphasises experience and relaxation, is rapidly gaining popularity. China’s third- and fourth-tier cities have become the new darlings of the travel market. Places such as Yichun, known as the “Moon City”, Baise, the “Little Xinjiang of Guangxi”, and Weihai, the “Oriental Cape of Good Hope”, have become ideal destinations for travellers seeking to avoid peak crowds. Young travellers often follow the principle of “no planning, no check-ins, no sightseeing spots, no trendy cities”, and sometimes simply spend their time relaxing in a hotel or guesthouse in a fresh city. Whatever the form, relaxing the mind and easing emotions remain the ultimate purpose of travel.

Family travel is no longer just about the whole family going out together. Now it means “travelling on the child’s holiday”, and today’s parents pay more attention to their children’s interests and needs. As a result, top choices include theme parks, museums, zoos and institutions of higher learning, such as the Beijing Planetarium, Chimelong Tourism Resort in Guangzhou and Tsinghua University, all of which draw large numbers of parents and children. Such trips give children the chance to explore the world, and are a gentle expression of parents’ love!

China has more World Heritage Sites than any other country, and these are attracting growing attention worldwide. Beyond that, intangible cultural heritage such as calligraphy, seal carving, paper-cutting, woodblock printing, traditional timber-frame construction techniques and shadow puppetry, as well as the many ancient cities and towns steeped in history and culture, are increasingly sought after. Travellers are increasingly keen to visit these places and experience the charm of local culture first-hand.

In recent years, declining urban air quality has led people to yearn for places with clean air and pleasant surroundings, where they can relax, embrace nature and stay healthy. China has many scenic spots that rightly deserve the name “natural oxygen bars”. Their air carries extremely high concentrations of negative ions, and they make ideal retreats for escaping the summer heat and for recuperation. With beautiful scenery and lush greenery, they are truly refreshing for the mind.

Like night owls, young travellers will not let evenings away from home go to waste, and they are sure to look for distinctive ways to have fun. Bustling commercial districts, lively street-food alleys, bars with dazzling lights and thumping music, and river cruises in the evening breeze with glittering lights have all become popular check-in spots. Another kind of night travel seeks the true light of the sun, moon and stars: the sunrise on Mount Tai, the aurora over Mohe, the desert sunset and the starry skies over grasslands... Such night-time experiences reflect people’s longing for nature.

Coastlines are among the top choices for people seeking to unwind. Boundless sea views, a clear blue sky, gentle sea breezes, salty sea water, soft fine sand beaches... More and more travellers choose islands as ideal places to take wedding photos or spend their honeymoon.

A restless, hectic life calls for a journey that cleanses the soul. Yunnan offers Lijiang with its “artistic air”, Xishuangbanna with its “exotic charm”, and Shangri-La, which feels like a “hidden paradise”, bringing pure beauty and delight. “Circling mountains, rivers and pagodas”: Tibet is a place of pilgrimage, with pristine lakes and sacred snow-capped mountains. Qinghai Lake in Qinghai, known as “the Earth’s last tear”, is beautiful to the extreme and deeply moving.

Every region’s cuisine carries its own culture. From Zibo barbecue to Harbin frozen pears, and on to Tianshui malatang, people today may be moved by food, travelling in search of delicacies and going to a city for a particular dish. At a local snack stall along the streets of an unfamiliar city, you can not only enjoy distinctive flavours, but also feel the hospitality and friendliness conveyed in the warm atmosphere of everyday life.

Today, travel is ever more closely linked with daily life, and new lifestyle and travel ideas are giving rise to new ways of travelling. Using weekends to hike, camp or take part in other outdoor sports around the city is gradually becoming a new travel trend. Some young people, tired of the rigid routine of going back and forth between home and work, use their limited weekend time to wander freely around cities with no limits, seeking fresh things and discovering a different kind of beauty in familiar places. This lifestyle is now known as “Citywalker.”

Busy work and life rhythms have made “special forces-style” travel a new trend. Young travellers push their physical limits and race against time. For example, they set off right after work on Friday with a packed itinerary, then rush back overnight on Sunday to face work again the next day. It is a distinctive way of travelling, made for young people.