When Chinese travellers decide on their next overseas adventure, one thing is clear: influencers shape their journeys. Partnering with influencers demonstrates brand awareness and helps to boost engagement with target traveller audiences. Based on industry insights from 2025, here’s what travel brands must know before refining their China strategy.
Video and Livestreaming Take Centre Stage
China’s social media environment is video-first. Livestreams on platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou drive real-time conversions, increasing the number of bookings through entertainment. Creative content such as virtual tours, live Q&As, and product showcases can deliver direct action and measurable ROI.
Multi-Platform Storytelling Is the Norm
Today’s influencer campaigns rarely stick to just one channel. Instead, they span the entire Chinese social ecosystem. Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, may be the go-to for promotion of destinations, hotels and cultural experiences, but other platforms such as WeChat provide space for more personal, shareable storytelling that feels like word-of-mouth, promoting experiences in an authentic and therefore trustworthy manner. Although it’s used less for travel inspiration these days, Weibo still plays a role in mass visibility too, alongside Douyin, which features entertaining short videos and livestream shopping where customers can book directly through provided links. Ctrip integrations also allow influencers to link directly to travel products, seamlessly bridging the gap between inspiration and booking.
A well-designed campaign today ensures content flows across multiple touchpoints in order to cover the full customer journey: from aspirational posts on Xiaohongshu, to livestream booking links on Douyin.
Influencers Are the New Media
Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) are highly important to tourism professionals and brands, holding audience groups that look to them with the same trust that was once reserved for established media. Travel KOLs often operate like digital magazines, creating photography, lifestyle and journalism content all in one. Posts often include detailed guides on destinations or experiences, complete with travel tips, accommodation suggestions, and safety notes for parents.
Destinations treat KOLs like media partners, inviting them to press trips, commissioning them for sponsored features, and expecting outputs across video, editorial, and social channels. They are often favoured for these opportunities because their reach is wider, their content is interactive, and their relationship with audiences is more personal. In some cases, travel KOLs can also be invited to accompany trade fam trips too, particularly to niche destinations.
The Power of the Everyday Consumer
A major shift is underway toward Key Opinion Consumers (KOCs)- micro-influencers who may only have a few thousand followers but whose authenticity makes them highly persuasive. On platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, algorithms prioritize quality content, not account size. This is because of the potential for high-quality posts to go viral, creating ripple effects among travel communities and inspiring tourists to book trips.
Many brands are shifting budget away from one or two costly KOLs toward a broad base of KOCs, creating a network effect of authentic voices. This can result in more content, more relatability, and often higher ROI.
Reaching Niche Passions and Demographics
Chinese travellers are moving away from cookie-cutter itineraries and toward experiences that reflect their passions- whether that’s gourmet food, heritage, or classical music. This creates fertile ground for collaborations with niche influencers who speak directly to these interests. Pair these with demographic-focused influencers- seniors seeking comfort, families looking for child-friendly packages, or adventure seekers chasing outdoor thrills- and you have a finely tuned marketing mix that drives loyalty and bookings.
According to a recent article from China Daily, “authenticity and emotional connection have become the new currency of influence” across Europe, with Chinese travelers seeking personalised experiences that go beyond the usual tourist circuit. A recent global campaign by Spain ‘Think You Know Spain? Think Again’ focuses on promoting these experiences by working with niche influencers and subject experts instead of general lifestyle influencers.
From Inspiration to Direct Sales
Influencer marketing in China is increasingly transactional. Key Opinion Sellers (KOS)- specialized influencers with sales flair- bring in bookings and revenue by producing content. KOS are an important sales channel and should be considered for marketing strategies looking to target the maximum number of Chinese outbound tourists.
How to Apply These Trends
Consider mixing your influencer types, balancing high-visibility KOLs with authentic KOCs and sales-driven KOSs to reach across the consumer funnel. It is also crucial to prioritise video, investing in short-form and livestream-friendly content formats, and don’t just rely on one channel for this either: if budgets allow, spread your content across Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat, and Ctrip for maximum exposure. Going niche with micro-influencers can help to highlight your brand’s unique strengths, so ensure to look at the quality and alignment to your brand instead of just follower figures.
Guanxi has experience with Chinese social media and influencers- for help with promoting your brand, contact us here.