Chinese high-net-worth (HNW) travellers are planning to spend more on international luxury travel in the coming year with Africa identified as a high-potential growth market, according to a new white paper by Dragon Trail International and DONG Luxury Travel Collection.
According to the report, based on surveys of more than 201 Chinese HNW people, 201 luxury travel agents and 207 luxury hospitality partners between December 2025 and January 2026, 85% of surveyed travellers intend to increase their travel spend.
Chinese HNW travellers are experienced travellers who increasingly view travel as a form of personal enrichment, Dragon Trail International Market Research Analyst Janice Meng pointed out.
“Chinese HNW individuals are nearly all self-made and see travel as a means to personal development and enrichment with growing demands for experiences like private cultural excursions and visiting remote destinations,” she said.
While Africa does not feature among the leading international destinations in the report, it is highlighted as a high-potential growth market for luxury travel.
Chinese luxury travellers increasingly value privacy, exclusivity and personalised service with 79% of respondents prioritising personalised experiences and brand reputation, the research found.
They are also relatively frequent travellers: 60% have taken at least four international leisure trips over the past three years, according to the research.
Family and multi-generational travel
The research highlighted strong growth potential for family and multi-generational travel.
Most HNW travellers said they travelled internationally with spouses or partners while more than half travelled with friends and 42% with children.
Respondents identified family-friendly travel products, childcare services and parent-child experiences as key future expectations.
Privacy was found to be particularly important among travellers travelling with families. Some luxury travellers reportedly booked private villas, private entrances or entire hotel floors.
Wellness demand grows
Wellness tourism was identified as one of the strongest future growth areas.
The report found that Chinese luxury travellers are increasingly seeking long-term well-being and longevity-focused programmes rather than traditional spa treatments.
Technology and AI remain sensitive
Technology adoption among Chinese luxury travellers was mixed.
While many respondents were digitally savvy and comfortable managing travel through mobile apps and smart hotel technology, only 30% said they are comfortable using AI-powered chatbots for travel support.
Many respondents viewed excessive automation as undermining the luxury experience, preferring warm human service over robotic interactions.
However, the report noted that AI still holds potential behind the scenes, particularly for itinerary planning, multilingual communication, predictive guest preferences and personalised recommendations.
“Attentive, warm human service is essential for Chinese HNW travellers and the service needs to be localised to the Chinese market linguistically and culturally,” said Sienna Parulis-Cook, Dragon Trail International Director of Marketing and Communications.
Sustainability not yet a key driver
“Our research shows that sustainable travel is actually a lower priority for Chinese HNW individuals and that there is work to do to communicate the value of sustainability to this market,” added Parulis-Cook.
Sustainability ranked relatively low among travel decision-making factors with only 42% of respondents saying eco-friendly practices influenced their travel choices.
The report found that sustainability initiatives resonated most when directly enhancing the guest experience, particularly through farm-to-table dining, organic produce and community-based experiences.
“The Chinese luxury market will want to see how sustainability enhances their stay and adds value rather than diminishing the luxury experience or being seen as a cost-cutting measure,” Parulis-Cook said.
Service and localisation
Mandarin-speaking staff and culturally adapted services remain highly important to Chinese luxury travellers.
The report found that more than half of luxury travel agents and hospitality partners viewed Mandarin-speaking staff as either critical or very important with only 5% saying this isn’t important.
Chinese-language menus, guest communications, mobile chat support and culturally relevant hospitality touches were highlighted as important service considerations.
Social media and loyalty programmes
Word-of-mouth recommendations and social media were identified as the most influential marketing channels for reaching Chinese luxury travellers.
RedNote and WeChat emerged as the most important platforms with the report noting that luxury marketing should focus on storytelling and emotional resonance rather than overt promotion.
Loyalty programmes also remain influential as around two thirds of respondents said this affects hotel and airline choices.
The report further highlighted the importance of working closely with luxury travel agencies as more than half of hospitality partners said agencies remain the primary booking channel for Chinese luxury travellers.
