Interest-Led Journeys: How Cultural Travel Trends Are Shaping China’s Outbound Travel on Xiaohongshu

Chinese travelers’ outbound travel behavior is being reshaped by cultural tourism trends emerging on Xiaohongshu (XHS/ RedNote). Rather than starting with a destination, travelers increasingly begin with personal interests, such as music, heritage, sports, nature, or lifestyle experiences, and extend those interests into outbound journeys across Asia and beyond. This “interest-first” mindset is redefining how destinations are discovered, evaluated, and ultimately chosen, positioning Xiaohongshu as a key platform influencing China outbound travel decisions.

 

Interest Becomes the Starting Point of Travel Decisions

Travel discussions on Xiaohongshu are no longer centered solely on cities or landmarks, but on passion-driven experiences that form richer outbound travel paths.

Key data highlights from Xiaohongshu (as of December 2025)¹

• • 230M+ monthly active travel enthusiasts 

• • 80%+ users search travel guides on XHS before departure

• • 2.4B+ travel searches (+38% YoY)

• • #跟着兴趣去旅行 (Travel With Interest) exceeded 1.5B views²

• • Core audience: 73% female, 60% post-95, 47% Tier-1 & New Tier-1 cities

Niche interests such as idol pilgrimages, heritage crafts, museum tours, and outdoor nature experiences continue to generate sustained engagement, becoming new gateways for outbound cultural tourism.

 

Three Cultural Tourism Trends Shaping 2026 Outbound Travel¹

Trend 1: Interest as the Core Travel Motivation

Young Chinese travelers are increasingly willing to “travel for one reason.”

• • Fly to another country for a concert or sports event

• • Visit a overseas city for a local festival

 

Trend 2: Rise of Interest-Based Outbound Destinations

Hashtags like #人生体验清单 (Life Bucket Checklist) (110M views) and #5h出逃旅行计划 (5 Hours Escape Travel Plan)(80M views) highlight how cultural travel has become part of personal life narratives.

Cultural Interest	Popular Destinations	Key Hashtags
Local festivals & experiences	Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand	#花火大會 (Fireworks Festival): 1.76M+ discussions #极限运动体验 (Extreme Sports Experiences): 5.7M+ discussions
Tropical islands	Phu Quoc, Kota Kinabalu	#玻璃海 (Glass Sea): 820M+ views
Wild nature & safaris	South Africa, Madagascar	#户外露营 (Outdoor Camping): 4.36B+ views
Romantic & spiritual journeys	Southern Italy, Vatican	#浪漫在逃度假人 (Romantic Escape Vacation): 160M+ views

 

Trend 3: Seasonal Cultural Travel Cycles

Travel planning on XHS now follows a "Cultural Calendar." Brands can predict demand by aligning with these content rhythms:

• • Spring: Flower viewing

• • Summer: Surfing and island escapes

• • Fall: Country walks

• • Winter: Skiing and snow festivals

 

Case Insight: Marriott’s Interest-Driven "Seeding" Strategy

Within this landscape, Marriott offers a clear example of how cultural tourism trends on Xiaohongshu can influence outbound travel behavior. Instead of notes focusing on room types or pricing, Marriott embedded itself into interest-driven scenarios—sports events, lifestyle communities, and urban cultural moments.

By naturally integrating into key interest nodes on Xiaohongshu, the brand expanded beyond traditional hotel messaging and became part of travelers’ cultural journeys. As a result, Marriott achieved a 60% increase in brand search on Xiaohongshu (August - October 2025), demonstrating how cultural relevance directly drives outbound travel consideration.²

 

Xiaohongshu as a Full-Funnel Cultural Travel Platform

Xiaohongshu has transformed into a key platform to discover trends, cultivate inspiration and seeding, and convert sales for cultural travel marketing.

Xiaohongshu cultural travel ecosystem:

• • Trend Discovery Hub
    Discover → Capture → Create cultural travel trends through browsing, search, and sharing

• • Inspiration & Seeding Hub
    Practical guides → Deep storytelling → Long-term travel desire

• • Decision & Conversion Hub
    Real reviews → Direct messages → In-app product booking

 

Turning Cultural Travel Trends into Growth on Xiaohongshu

To capture the high-spending, interest-led Chinese traveler, brands must move beyond "Destinations." At iClick, we help tourism marketers and brands transform cultural insights into measurable growth by leveraging Xiaohongshu data, content strategy, and performance marketing.

Connect with iClick to Activate your 2026 Cultural Travel Strategy

 

Source:
1: 2026小红书文旅兴趣出游种草指南
2: 环球旅讯：2026年，小红书打响文旅种草下半场

 

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