Social Search Trends in APAC Travel
Commissioned by 
covering China • Vietnam • Japan
This report examines social search trends and content preferences by top source markets to reveal evolving traveler priorities and emerging opportunities in 2025.
“Given changing traveller preferences and the growing influence of social in Asia, we asked SocialSeal to shed light on social search trends for three key Asian destinations – Vietnam, Japan and China. We hope these insights will help marketers better understand the new traveller behaviour that’s driving new travel patterns in the region,”
— Yeoh Siew Hoon, founder, WiT • Profile TikTok Travel Marketing White Paper
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Executive Summary
This report delivers a data-driven snapshot of inbound tourism interest based on social search behavior across three key Asian destinations: China, Vietnam, and Japan. By examining search trends and social media content preferences segmented by their top 3 source markets, it reveals evolving traveler priorities and emerging market opportunities for 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Travelers increasingly value actionable, checklist-style content over pure entertainment, with an emphasis on budget guides, itineraries, and shopping tips.
- China’s inbound market shows strong demand for practical travel advice blended with immersive cultural and natural experiences, especially from South Korea, Vietnam, and Russia.
- Vietnam is rising rapidly as an inbound hotspot, attracting diverse traveler types, from Korean vlog enthusiasts to American budget backpackers, and increasingly benefiting from shifting Chinese tourist flows.
- Japan's inbound tourism rebounds strongly in 2025 with over 47 million visitors projected, driven by shopping sprees and culinary experiences.
- Bilingual and culturally tailored content, as well as fresh destinations beyond capital cities, are crucial to capturing traveler attention in these competitive markets.
Implications for Marketers
- Travel brands should prioritize utility-driven, culturally nuanced social content.
- Marketers must explore growth beyond traditional cities to capture emerging destination interest.
- Leveraging social search data can deliver highly targeted and measurable tourism marketing strategies.
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