Summer 2025 China Outbound Travel Trends: Douyin Sparks “Water Travel” Fever

As summer 2025 heats up, China outbound travel demand is surging. According to travel guide platform Mafengwo, searches for “summer getaways” and “outbound travel during summer break” rose by 133% and 150% in June¹, reflecting a growing appetite for seasonal escapes. And Douyin is capturing the spotlight for what’s trending this season as China’s go-to app for summer travel ideas. With Gen Z students and families seeking fresh ways to cool down, water activities and summer getaways have emerged as the platform’s hottest content, significantly shaping the China outbound travel market.

Douyin’s Hottest Summar Travel Trends

“Water” is Summer’s Top Hit on Douyin

• “水上运动” (Water sports) searches surged 180% MoM²
• “⁠玩水” (Play with Water) searches soared 809% MoM²
• Related hot keywords dominate the top 10, including #暑假花式玩水大赛 (Creative Ways to Play with Water This Summer) (450M+ views) and #夏天玩水好city啊 (Playing in the Water Feels So Trendy This Summer) (210M+ views)³

This highlights the immense Douyin traffic for water-related content.

“Summer Getaways” Becomes a New Lifestyle:

Beyond just water, Douyin is also fueling new lifestyle trends around diverse summer getaways.

• “避暑” (Summer getaways) searches jumped 881% MoM²
• ⁠”星空露营” (Stargazing camping) searches rose 97% MoM²
• Popular tags include #露营有多惬意 (#How Relaxing is Camping) (290M+ views) and #入伏避暑好去处 (#Best Places to Escape from the Hottest Days of Summer) (57M+ views) ³

These trends present significant opportunities for brands targeting the China outbound travel market.

How to Maximize Your Brand’s Potential in China Outbound Travel Market via Douyin?

• Ride the trend with Douyin IPs like “就爱这么过夏天” ("This is My Favorite Way to Spend Summer"), “美好夏日提案” ("Your Perfect Summer Plan") to spark authentic conversations around outbound travel.
• Design immersive campaigns tailored to Gen Z and families with short videos, livestreams, and photo-worthy locations
• Implement data-driven strategies for Douyin marketing to precisely target your ideal audiences with iClick’s full-funnel solutions, ensuring your message reaches high-intent Chinese travelers.

Partner with iClick to Unlock Summer 2025 Opportunities

At iClick Interactive, we help global brands connect with China’s evolving outbound travelers through data-driven social media campaigns tailored to high-intent audiences.

Get in touch to explore how we can support your next travel campaign targeting the Chinese market.

Source:
1: https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2025-06-20/doc-infasuet2999865.shtml?froms=ggmp
2: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KDLsza80skscuWQMSNKjlw
3: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/P-He6nbN0pAAk_Qk0u63FQ

Related Insights: Explore more on China’s Outbound Travel in 2025

• Unlocking the 2025 Chinese Luxury Travel Boom: Insights for Global Brands
  Discover how Chinese high-net-worth travelers are shaping luxury and travel trends in 2025—and what brands must do to capture their attention.
• Summer 2025 China Outbound Travel Trends: Self-Drive and Cruise Vacations Surge on Social Media
  Explore 2025 summer China outbound travel marketing trends with iClick, from self-drive and cruise to popular travel content on China social media.
• Baidu Outbound Travel Insights and Solutions in 2025: A Complete Guide for China Marketing Success
  Unlock China’s outbound travel market with Baidu insights and discover tools to engage high-intent Chinese travelers with iClick.