Data on China’s domestic self-driving holidays, captured during the pandemic and post-lockdown, show demand increasing from 41 per cent to 80 per cent from 2020 to 2024, and Chinese travellers are now going behind the wheel all over the world.
Leading China car rental platform Zuzuche, which offers self-driving travel services, had processed more than 20 million international driving licence holders as of 4Q2024 and its year-on-year booking growth rate in 2023 was a whopping 331 per cent.
The findings and other trends were shared by Keiko Zhang, vice president and marketing director, during Dragon Trail International’s (DTI) webinar on Chinese New Year 2025 and self-driving tourism.
Australia and New Zealand dominate as top outbound destinations in Asia-Pacific, with Malaysia and Thailand as popular choices. Further afield, Chinese travellers are booking self-drive holidays in the UAE.
Top destinations in Europe are the UK, France, Italy and Spain while Germany and Norway are emerging on the radar.
Zhang noted the US is a hot self-drive destination for the China market.
The top five picks for 2025 Spring Festival were Australia, New Zealand, the US, Thailand and Norway, she said, adding that year-on-year growth saw Norway jumping 326 per cent and Saudi Arabia 200 per cent.
She continued: “Chinese travellers are increasingly seeking niche experiences and 2024 fastest growing hidden gem road-trip cites include Hobart (Australia), AIUla (Saudi Arabia), Zagreb (Croatia), Tbilisi (Georgia) and Mallorca (Spain).
Zuzuche data shows that more than half of self-drive travellers are between the ages of 21 and 45 post-lockdown, and there are 15 per cent more females. Spring Festival demographics show that 30.8 per cent of self-drive travellers are women aged 55 and above.
Social media plays a crucial role in the decision-making loop for travellers, Zhang highlighted.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, DTI, director of marketing and communications, shared that Ctrip Chinese New Year self-driving travel trends saw overseas car rentals increasing by 42 per cent year-on-year.
“The average length of car rentals overseas was six days and popular destinations for self-driving travel included Los Angeles, Dubai, San Francisco, Bangkok, and Phuket,” Parulis-Cook added.
