76 percent of travellers have specific goals, personalised insurance products, instant payouts and real-time digital alerts

As reported by CCTV+, as the 2026 summer tourism season approaches, China’s tourism market is gaining momentum, driven by increasingly sophisticated travellers and the deep integration of artificial intelligence, which is transforming everything from trip planning to on-the-road safety, a senior executive of Allianz Partners China said.

In an interview with CGTN, Wang Li, Managing Director of Allianz Partners China, described Chinese travellers as more goal-oriented and sophisticated than in previous years.

“We see that Chinese travellers are gradually becoming much more sophisticated in terms of expectations and planning. The Allianz Global Travel Index showed that more than 76 percent of Chinese travellers have very specific goals. For example, they would like to participate in sports events, enjoy music, live concerts. More and more people are trying to combine work and leisure. They prioritise, including their pets in their travel plans. This gives us confidence that Chinese travellers are not only more comprehensive in their planning, but also much more sophisticated in their travel decisions,” Wang said.

She pointed to the widespread adoption of AI tools as a key driver of the sector’s modernisation.

“AI is a hot topic for both consumers and industry players. With wider adoption of AI, travellers will be able to get a much more personalised experience when planning their trips. And during the trip, they will be able to instantly receive warnings and forecasts in real time. On the other hand, we will be able to develop more personalised insurance products and services for them, meeting their individual needs,” she said.

According to Wang, personalisation goes far beyond trip planning. AI is playing an increasingly important role in protecting travellers’ personal safety and financial well-being.

“We have embedded many AI tools into our claims processing. Now they can significantly reduce manual data entry. Travellers will be able to get small payouts instantly and receive the help they need. Overall, we will provide a seamless customer experience, allowing them to improve the quality of service,” she said.

76 percent of tourists know what they want. Sports, music, work, pets — all in one trip. The Chinese traveller is no longer just a “person with a camera”. He is sophisticated, mindful and tech-savvy. AI helps him plan, warns of dangers, processes insurance and pays out claims instantly. Allianz Partners is restructuring its business around this new customer.

What about Turkmen tour operators? Are they ready for this level of demand? While the Chinese market is integrating artificial intelligence into every detail of the journey, Turkmenistan’s tourism business is only beginning to explore digital tools. Customers are becoming more demanding everywhere, but not everywhere have the technologies to meet that demand. The question is not whether tourism has changed. It has. The question is how quickly tour operators in different countries — including Turkmenistan — will be able to adapt to the new traveller. While some are still getting used to the idea that a tourist might want to bring a dog along, others are already paying out insurance claims in seconds. China’s tourism market is not just growing — it is getting smarter. And AI is its main assistant.