Chinese travellers flock to Central Asia as flight bookings soar 120% on pre-Covid levels

AdvertisementChina travelEconomyChina EconomyChinese travellers flock to Central Asia as flight bookings soar 120% on pre-Covid levels

Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative behind stronger economic ties and passenger traffic growth between the two regions, say industry experts

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Yeon Woo LeePublished: 4:00pm, 26 Apr 2026Once a niche destination, Central Asia is quickly emerging as a key market for Chinese travellers, supported by robust traffic growth, expanding air links and deeper economic ties under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, according to analysts.

Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed that passenger traffic to Central Asia grew 59.3 per cent in 2025 from a year earlier, marking one of the fastest growth rates among all regions tracked, said Mayur Patel, commercial and industry affairs leader for Asia-Pacific at OAG Aviation.

AdvertisementPatel said travel demand between Central Asian countries and China would be more significant in the near future and was “possibly underappreciated” at present.

He added that already by summer 2024, Chinese airline frequencies to the region had risen by 120 per cent above 2019 levels, representing the strongest and most consistent pandemic recovery of any global region.

“[Along with tourism], these routes are also supported by business travel, trade links, government exchanges, education and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic, which makes demand more stable,” said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of the travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk.

Meanwhile, flight numbers from China to some traditional American and European markets have yet to fully recover. As of March, capacity to North America was still less than 30 per cent of 2019 levels, according to Chinese outlet Yicai.

Central Asia has not traditionally been a popular destination for Chinese travellers, particularly for tourism, with Southeast Asia and East Asia long preferred, while business travel to the region has remained limited.

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However, Chinese efforts to expand investment and influence under the Belt and Road Initiative over more than a decade are beginning to bear fruit, driving deeper cultural and commercial exchanges, analysts said.

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