Taylor Swift, waste-free travel and a helping hand: What Chinese tourists want in 2025

Travel boss Jane Sun says destinations including Abu Dhabi and Dubai are more popular than some European locations due to visa ease and safety

Chinese travellers want three Es in 2025: events like the history-making Taylor Swift Eras tour, eco-tourism and a helping hand for elderly tourists.

The destinations that get the recipe right can expect to enjoy a surge in visitors from the country, said Jane Sun, chief executive of Trip.com, one of the world's biggest travel companies. Its parent company also owns Skyscanner.

She spoke to The National at the World Economic Forum in Davos about what she expects to happen in the travel sector this year and beyond. Despite fears of stagnant growth in China and a cost of living pinch, Chinese outbound travel is likely to exceed 130 million passengers in 2025. Some estimates say it could reach or exceed the high of 155 million, recorded in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We're very excited to see the new trends, which we call the three Es: the first E is events plus travel - young people are very interested in a Taylor Swift concert, F1, Olympic Games - we call this plus-travel," Ms Sun said. "The second is eco-friendly – people are very interested to join those with green travel initiatives."

These include the availability of electric cars, now the norm in China, and hotels with low emissions and green credentials. The third E is elderly friendly travel, which global destinations need to understand better, Ms Sun said.

"In China, the retirement age is quite low - anywhere between 50 and 60. And this is the generation that made very good money," she added. "Now they are healthy, they are energetic, they are ready to travel around the world. Any company that offers a good package that is elderly friendly will benefit."

Lure of the Middle East

Destinations in the Middle East are among the most appealing for Chinese travellers, owing to low crime rates and visas that are simple to obtain. Staff at hotels from Egypt and Jordan to the Emirates who have Mandarin language skills do much to make visitors feel at ease.

Despite the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, the region remains a strong draw for the world's largest travelling public. Flights from Beijing to Dubai cost as little as $380 and are often far cheaper than domestic trips in China, including to the tropical island of Hainan. More than 450,000 Chinese visited Dubai in the first nine months of 2024.

"The Middle East is very interesting for lots of people in China. They offer free visas or visa upon arrival - and Middle East airlines are doing very well," Ms Sun said. "The airports are beautifully built, it offers great history and very friendly people, so we bring lots of customers to the Middle East."

Destinations such as Dubai, the seventh most visited city in the world in 2024 due to the arrival of 18.2 million tourists, Abu Dhabi and Doha have surpassed European cities when it comes to visa access. "Dubai and Abu Dhabi, it's very easy to access these cities," Ms Sun said. "Doha is also very easy and Saudi Arabia is also opening up. And Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand also offer free visas."

Easy visas

Ms Sun added that some countries that do not offer free visas have benefitted from shortening the application process, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Switzerland. She noted that the EU continues to "take too long ... to apply for visa".

At a time of conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the threat of a trade war with China from Donald Trump's new administration in the US, travel remains the strongest way to break down barriers, Ms Sun added.

"I would like to see people use travel as a bridge to enhance international exchange and promote global peace," she said. "Our mission is that when we send people far away, we are bringing the world closer."

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