Chinese tourists are spending more than other Asian passengers at airports in the region, especially for gifts, cuisine and luxury goods, according to a new study by the International Airports Association (ACI) Asia-Pacific and Middle East region.
Research released earlier this month shows that Chinese passengers have led the recovery of retail sales at Asian airports after the COVID-19 pandemic, with spending on luxury goods twice as high as the regional average.
Mr. Stefano Baronci, General Director of ACI Asia-Pacific and Middle East region, said that Chinese tourists recorded "the highest average spending per passenger among all nationalities" in the post-pandemic period. He also noted that the rate of spending recovery has exceeded the rate of passenger recovery.
This trend reflects the strong resurgence of the outbound tourism market in China after the pandemic, although demand in some other sectors of the economy is still slow.
According to HSBC, this market is estimated to reach 140 billion USD in 2024 and may increase to 386 billion USD in 2033.
Regarding shopping structure, many Chinese tourists tend to buy confectionery at the airport as gifts to take home. About 27% of passengers choose this group of products as their top priority, followed by local products (17%) and luxury goods (12%).
Mr. Baronci said that the retail shopping baskets of Chinese tourists are among the most diverse in the study, instead of focusing too much on a specific item.
Notably, although Chinese tourists still spend heavily abroad, the proportion of retail spending at domestic airports is increasing. According to ACI, spending by Chinese passengers at domestic airports has increased by 20% compared to 2019, partly thanks to the expanded tax exemption policy.
ACI's Asia-Pacific and Middle East region research compiled data from retailers and passengers at 36 major airports in 21 countries. However, the report did not mention the total spending value of Chinese passengers in USD.
In addition to China, groups of passengers spending heavily at the airport also come from India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to independent aviation analyst Li Hanming, Western passengers sometimes also spend heavily at airports, but Chinese tourists still tend to outperform in many cases due to higher average spending.
To please international tourists, especially Chinese tourists, in terms of shopping experience, airports in Vietnam need to improve service quality and product diversity.
According to the AirHelp Score 2025 ranking - one of the world's most prestigious airport quality assessment systems, Tan Son Nhat International Airport (HCMC) and Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi) are both in the bottom group in terms of passenger experience.
Among the 250 airports ranked this year, Tan Son Nhat airport ranked 248th with an average score of 6.21. International passengers rated punctuality as 6.1; passenger reviews as 6.6 and culinary and shopping services as 6.1.
Noi Bai Airport ranked 242nd with a total score of 6.71, including 6.4 punctuality points; 7.2 points from passengers and 7.1 points for the culinary - shopping area.
In January 2026, Vietnam's tourism industry welcomed nearly 2.5 million international visitors. Among them, the Chinese market, although decreasing compared to the same period last year, the number of visitors is still very large, reaching nearly 460 thousand.
In 2025, China is Vietnam's largest tourist destination market with 5.3 million arrivals (accounting for 25% of the total number of international visitors to Vietnam).
