Q2 2026 WeChat Rankings Report

Dragon Trail’s WeChat Rankings Report for Q2 2026 examines and analyzes the performance of seven categories of outbound/international travel brands on WeChat: national tourism organizations (NTOs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs, referring to regional and municipal tourism boards), airlines, airports, cruise lines, museums and attractions, and hotels.

Have a question about the report, want to check your brand’s ranking, or let us know about an account we might not be tracking yet? Please get in touch at communications@dragontrail.com

Results for international travel brands on WeChat for Q2 2026 reveal significant changes for reading rates across several categories, newcomers to the NTO category, and top content themes including recommendations for the May Labor Day, Children’s Day and family travel, 618 sales, coffee, and whale watching.

WeChat’s display changes and reading rates

In March 2026, WeChat made a change to the platform’s functions and displays, whereby Service Accounts can now post more content through daily photo posts, but users now receive fewer and less intrusive notifications about Service Account articles. How has this impacted reading rates for WeChat content? Surprisingly, the categories with some of the most significant decline in average WeChat reading rates are destination tourism boards – these accounts represent a mix of Official (Subscription) Accounts, which have not changed this spring, and Service Accounts. Average views per post declined by -28% year on year for NTOs and by -33% for DMOs. Average views for attractions – which are mostly but not all Service Accounts – declined by close to -38%. Other categories where all accounts are Service Accounts fared better – average views per post for hotels were down by just -7%, with airlines up by 14%, cruise lines up by 38%, and airports increasing their average views per post by an impressive 57%.

Dragon Trail’s WeChat rankings are based on data collected on a weekly basis, looking at reading rates for articles the week they are published. But especially with the rise of WeChat as a search engine, and upcoming AI tools, the value of destination tourism board content is more long-term than week to week, with brands encouraged to focus on practical and evergreen content that WeChat users will want to access any time they might be researching or planning a trip. On the other hand, brands that rely more on WeChat to publish time-sensitive updates and offers, such as hotels, airlines, and cruise lines, can breathe easy seeing that WeChat’s display changes have not had noticeable negative impacts on their content reach so far.

NTOs

Chinese tourism to Japan has declined dramatically since last year amid a diplomatic dispute, mass flight cancellations, and limited group tour availability – yet the Japan National Tourism Organization (an Official/Subscription Account) still ranks first among all national tourism boards on WeChat for both total views and average views per post. However, total views of article content by Japan in Q2 2026 was down by nearly -40% year on year, with average article views down by -35%. Japan’s most-read article of the quarter was a guide for first-time visitors who don’t speak Japanese, including tips on AI translation, mobile payments, and where to find Chinese-language services and information.

(Left to right) May holiday itinerary for Georgia, cheap eats in Malaysia, and Chinese-language services in Japan

While the NTO leaderboard has many familiar accounts and a strong showing by popular short-haul destinations – Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia – there are two notable newcomers to the top 10: Azerbaijan and Georgia. Both visa-free countries in the Caucasus are currently increasing their promotion to the Chinese market, and the results on WeChat are strong. Azerbaijan’s top posts were about traveling with kids and a four-day Baku itinerary for the Labor Day holiday. Georgia’s leading articles included themed itineraries for the May Labor Day holiday and a guide to Batumi.

Other popular NTO articles on WeChat in Q2 2026 included a guide on what you can buy for RMB10 or RMB100 in Malaysia, focusing on food, transportation, accommodation, and shopping – presenting Malaysia as a good-value tourism destination. Malaysia’s second most-read article introduced the small city of Taiping (“99% of people haven’t been here”). Australia published a popular article on its coffee being ranked best in the world. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s top articles were a Songkran dining guide and a guide to relaxing in northern Thailand.

DMOs

Both Macao and Hong Kong’s tourism boards have Official/Subscription Accounts on WeChat and therefore didn’t experience any changes to how their content was delivered to users in Q2 2026. Yet both accounts saw declining reading rates of nearly -47% compared to Q2 2025. Macao’s top article content tends to be its monthly performance listings and special events – this spring, a coffee festival and a Disney installation at Studio City Macau. Hong Kong again tapped into a viral topic, with a post recreating an 18km walk that actor Li Xian did around Hong Kong in January 2026. Hong Kong’s other top post recommended tips and destinations for avoiding crowds during the May Labor Day holiday.

(Left to right) Spring in British Columbia, whale watching in Queensland, and the village of Montanejos in Valencia

Other top posts of the quarter by DMOs include an article on enjoying springtime nature in British Columbia, Canada, including cherry blossoms and whale watching. Queensland, Australia also published a very popular whale watching guide two months later. The region of Valencia, Spain, recommended the thermal village of Montanejos as another way to experience the Mediterranean.

Airlines

Amid massive cancellations of China-Japan flights by Chinese carriers, All Nippon Airways continues to attract higher-than-normal readership on WeChat. Total views for All Nippon Airways’ WeChat articles in Q2 2026 were up by 184% year on year, with average views up by 187%. The most-read articles included information on flights to North America – targeting study abroad students; a giveaway and summer promotion; and a post about recruiting flight experience officers.

(Left to right) Children’s Day post from AirAsia, blind boxes from Singapore Airlines, and flights to North America on All Nippon Airways

Other popular posts included AirAsia’s half-year sale – with a fun, interactive article for Children’s Day, a blind box giveaway by Singapore Airlines, and an update from Emirates Airline on the mainland China flights they were operating in April.

Airports

Average views of content published by international airports on WeChat have increased by 57% since last year, with strong performance by all the top accounts – Hong Kong International Airport increased average views per post by 41%, with Singapore Changi up by 15%, and Heathrow nearly doubling its average views.

(Left to right) Hong Kong International Airport’s T2 reopens, layover activities at Singapore Changi, and smooth travel tips for Heathrow

The most-read article by an airport shared the opening ceremony for Hong Kong’s expanded Terminal 2 at the end of May 2026. Singapore’s Changi Airport promotes itself more as an attraction rather than just a transportation hub, with guides to sightseeing efficiently in the airport, and recommendations for how to enjoy a layover at Changi during the Labor Day holiday. Meanwhile, London’s Heathrow introduced efficient services for a smooth airport experience, including click-and-collect shopping and the Heathrow app – alongside a promotion for the airport’s official teddy bears, Doris and Edward. Tokyo Haneda’s top post was a promotion with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, alongside the summer/autumn 2026 schedule for flights between mainland China and Tokyo Haneda.

Cruise Lines

As a category, cruise lines have seen strong growth on WeChat over the past year, with nearly 38% higher average post views in Q2 2026 compared to the same period one year earlier. Leading the category is Viking Cruises, with reading rates up by 39%. Viking’s top article was about a new travel show on CCTV, starring four celebrities and sponsored by Viking. Other popular content included an article about seizing the last chance for a family trip on Viking before the minimum boarding age is raised to 18, and a report on the first new river cruises of 2026 – with real photos and guest feedback.

(Left to right) Celebrities explore Europe on Viking Cruises for a CCTV show, last chance to bring kids on Viking Cruises, and Labor Day deals from Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International continued to promote seasonal sales and discounts – for Labor Day and summer holidays – with a 19% year-on-year increase in average views per post.

Attractions

Although average views were down overall in the museums and attractions category, this was not true for all accounts – average views for the Hong Kong Palace Museum increased by 171%, while the Van Gogh Museum rose from 9th to 5th in the rankings, with a 47% increase in average post views. Top content from the Hong Kong Palace Museum included a photo post with exhibitions, film screenings, and shopping for the Labor Day holiday, and information on new exhibitions: World Jewelry on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and a retrospective of Hong Kong calligrapher and painter Wong Kwan-shat. The Van Gogh Museum – which posted nearly twice as much content as in Q2 2025 – attracted views for its posts on Van Gogh’s birthday and his paintings of irises.

(Left to right) May holiday guide to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, Vincent Van Gogh’s birthday, and Olaf at Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland still topped the rankings table, accounting for 49% of all content views in the attractions category – but this was down from 72% of content views for the category in Q2 2026, and average views per post dropped by -67%. The park’s most popular content included information on meeting Frozen’s Olaf, and StellaLou dance performances during the Labor Day holiday, and deals for Alibaba’s 618 shopping festival, with up to 37% off entrance tickets.

Hotels

Hotel content views declined slightly, but average article views in this category are still far higher than in any other category – at 7,208 average views per post, compared to 6,514 views for cruise lines, 3,154 views for airlines, or 1,992 views for NTOs.

(Left to right) Family travel promotion from Marriott, and Children’s Day giveaway from IHG

Marriott and InterContinental continue to dominate the category. Top posts of the quarter included the 10th anniversary of Marriott’s luxury EDITION brand, a monthly members’ day and graduation travel promotion, 618 sales, and a summer family travel promotion featuring the Haoyou mascots (a fox, sheep, and elephant). InterContinental’s most-read posts were a summer sale, summer points promotion for members, a Children’s Day giveaway, and another points promotion with the chance to win tickets to the 2026 KPL (King Pro League e-sports) Final.