Airbnb exited China’s domestic market nearly three years ago, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on Chinese travelers. 

“China outbound is a key part of our global expansion strategy,” an Airbnb spokesperson told Skift. “We continue to believe that supporting Chinese travelers as they explore the world is the best opportunity for Airbnb in China.”

The company has focused on capturing China’s outbound business since taking down all its mainland China listings in July 2022, following years of competition with local rivals Tujia and Xiaozhu. Before exiting, its domestic operations contributed only about 1% of Airbnb’s global revenue. 

China drives what Airbnb calls the “corridor effect” — supporting growth in Asia-Pacific markets like Japan, South Korea, Australia, and in Southeast Asia. 

Overnight reservations by Chinese travelers grew nearly 90% in 2023 — as the country reopened its borders after three years of Covid closure —  followed by 25% growth in 2024, according to Airbnb’s annual reports. 

Outbound travel among travelers is surging ahead of the Qingming Festival, a three-day Chinese public holiday in April also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. Searches for international stays have nearly doubled compared to the same period last year, with Chinese users exploring Airbnb listings in more than 2,700 cities worldwide, based on Airbnb China’s 2025 Spring Outbound Travel Trend Report. 

Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the U.S., and New Zealand lead the top-searched destinations.

Airbnb’s New Target: Gen Z Chinese Travelers

Gen Z is leading Airbnb’s China outbound travel growth, according to the company’s latest spring outbound travel trend report. 

Airbnb has ramped up its presence on Chinese social media platforms RedNote and Douyin, and online video-sharing website Bilibili to strengthen its brand awareness through influencer collaborations, creating travel guides, and launching seasonal marketing campaigns.

The focus is on engaging China’s growing Gen Z travel market, where these local platforms play a key role in trip inspiration and booking.

Winning Over Chinese Travelers

Airbnb has aligned its marketing with China’s peak outbound travel periods, running seasonal campaigns around China’s Lunar New Year, Qingming Festival, May Labor Day, summer, and National Day. 

The company has formed several partnerships with destination markets. 

Airbnb worked with Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2024 to promote lesser-known “hidden gem” destinations in Japan to Chinese travelers. That summer, the company launched its third integrated campaign with the Korea Tourism Development Bureau, offering free summer trips to five “treasure city destinations” in South Korea to encourage cultural exchange and attract Chinese visitors. 

Airbnb has also invested in increasing Chinese-speaking hosts and holding host training events in key APAC destinations — Japan, Thailand, Australia — to help better cater to Chinese travelers. 

Airbnb maintains a full-scale local team in China, including product managers, engineers, marketing, and PR teams. 

A Still Competitive Landscape 

Airbnb’s major competitors for the Chinese outbound travel market remain hotels and China’s largest online travel agencies (OTAs) like Trip.com Group. 

Trip.com dominates the outbound travel market, holding 48.3% of the OTA market share, and an even greater 62.9% share for outbound group travel, according to Fastdata’s 2024 China Outbound Tourism Industry Development Trend Report. 

The report projects China’s outbound tourism market is poised for a full recovery and potential growth in the first half of 2025, with relaxed visa policies and increased flight capacity fueling demand.

Airbnb has positioned itself as the go-to option for group travel with campaigns like “Get an Airbnb” to highlight how families and friends can stay together in a full home or apartment, rather than booking separate hotel rooms.

Global expansion remains a long game for Airbnb, despite its 29% market share in short-term rentals across APAC. Japan is another key market, but Airbnb executives say that growth there will take time, calling it a “longer game.”