China VS Airbnb: Short-Term Rental Market with Tujia, Meituan Homestay and Fliggy
China's short-term rental market has developed along a distinctly different path from Western markets dominated by Airbnb. After Airbnb's exit from China in 2022, domestic platforms Tujia (founded 2011), Meituan Homestay, and Fliggy Stays (Alibaba's travel platform) filled the vacuum. The market reached approximately 150 billion RMB in 2025, driven by domestic tourism recovery, government promotion of rural revitalization through homestay development, and the popularity of unique accommodation experiences among younger travelers.
TL;DR
China's short-term rental market generated 150B RMB in 2025 across approximately 2 million listings. Tujia leads with 40% market share as the only dedicated short-term rental platform. Meituan Homestay leverages its local services super-app for 30% share. Fliggy Stays integrates with Alibaba's travel ecosystem for 20% share. Airbnb exited China in 2022 due to regulatory complexity and inability to compete with domestic platforms on local understanding and pricing.
Key Insights
Total Market GMV
China's short-term rental market generated approximately 150 billion RMB in GMV in 2025, benefiting from strong domestic tourism recovery with 6.5 billion domestic trips taken during the year, a 15% increase from 2024.
Active Listings
Over 2 million active short-term rental listings were available across platforms, covering urban apartments, rural homestays, villas, boutique hotels, and unique accommodations like cave dwellings, houseboats, and renovated traditional courtyard homes.
Tujia Market Leadership
Tujia maintained approximately 40% market share as China's only dedicated short-term rental platform. Its B2B2C model with property management partnerships sets it apart from Airbnb's peer-to-peer model and provides more consistent quality control.
Rural Homestay Boom
Rural homestay listings and bookings grew 30% year-over-year, driven by government rural revitalization policies, urban residents seeking nature retreats, and social media (Xiaohongshu, Douyin) popularizing specific rural destinations as trendy getaway spots.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Platform | Market Share | Listings | Key Model | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tujia | 40% | 800K+ | B2B2C + managed | Dedicated rental platform |
| Meituan Homestay | 30% | 600K+ | Super-app integration | Local services traffic |
| Fliggy Stays | 20% | 400K+ | Travel ecosystem | Alibaba travel bundle |
| Xiaohongshu Travel | 5% | N/A | Content discovery | Social inspiration |
| Ctrip Homestay | 5% | 200K+ | Travel booking | Ctrip hotel ecosystem |
| Airbnb (exited) | 0% | 0 | Peer-to-peer | Exited China 2022 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Airbnb exited its China domestic business in 2022 after 7 years of operation due to several factors: fierce competition from Tujia (which offered better local understanding and B2B2C property management), Meituan and Fliggy with superior user traffic through their super-app ecosystems, high customer acquisition costs in a market with free listings on domestic platforms, regulatory challenges including real estate registration requirements and local tax compliance, the pandemic severely reducing domestic travel during 2020-2022, and cultural differences in how Chinese users search for and book accommodations. Airbnb retained its outbound business (Chinese users booking international properties).
Tujia's B2B2C model differs fundamentally from Airbnb's peer-to-peer approach: Tujia partners with property management companies who professionalize the rental process including standardized cleaning, check-in, and maintenance. Tujia offers 'standardized' listings with guaranteed quality and 24/7 customer service, similar to a hotel experience. Tujia handles key management through smart locks and staffed front desks at larger properties. Property owners can choose full-management (Tujia handles everything for a revenue share), semi-management (owner handles some aspects), or self-management with platform listing only. This model results in higher average quality and consistency than Airbnb's mixed bag approach.