Steppes Travel has designed a new small-group tour of China designed for travellers curious about how technology, design and innovation are shaping the country's future. Olivia Palamountain reports

Steppes Travel is launching a new small-group tour of China designed for travellers curious about how technology, design and innovation are shaping the country's future.

The 11-day itinerary, titled China: Future Frontiers, has been created for travellers seeking deeper access than traditional cultural touring, offering behind-the-scenes entry to some of China's most influential technology and innovation hubs. The tour is scheduled for June 2026 and is priced from £4,595 per person, excluding international flights, based on a minimum of six travellers.

Running from Beijing to Shanghai, with stops in Guizhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, the itinerary includes visits to Baidu's Apollo Park, DJI headquarters, Alibaba's Xixi Campus and BYD's SkyShuttle. Experiences are built around first-hand exposure to areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous transport and digital infrastructure, alongside cultural context that explores how innovation fits into modern Chinese life.The launch comes at a moment of renewed accessibility for British travellers, following confirmation that UK passport holders will be able to enter China visa-free for stays of up to 30 days. The company says this shift has helped unlock demand for more specialised itineraries that move beyond headline sights.

Justin Wateridge, managing director at Steppes Travel, says: "At Steppes Travel we have always believed that great journeys go beyond traditional sightseeing, but instead offer experiences that allow travellers to be immersed in destinations visited and learn more. With our new China: Future Frontiers itinerary we are responding to a growing appetite from travellers for innovation-led travel. That's why we have curated this journey around experiential technology, offering access to places and experiences normally beyond reach that offer a glimpse into a future shaped by technology, design and bold new ideas.

"From robotics labs to autonomous-vehicle experiences, drone workshops to immersive VR labs, this is a trip built not around typical travel activities but around ideas that are shaping the world ahead."

The tour is hosted by Wateridge, who first visited China in 1989 and has returned regularly over the past three decades. Alongside campus visits and meetings, travellers will take part in hands-on experiences including autonomous vehicle demonstrations, drone workshops and immersive virtual reality sessions, placing innovation within a wider social and cultural framework.

The Steppes Travel trip is part of a wider shift towards what Globetrender has identified as Innovation Tourism – travel driven by a destination's technological advancement rather than its cultural landmarks alone.

According to Travel Trends 2026, an Amadeus report produced in association with Globetrender and published in December 2025, travellers are increasingly seeking destinations at the forefront of technological experimentation, where innovation itself becomes the reason to visit. The free-to-download report explores six core trends for 2026 and projects how Innovation Tourism is likely to evolve through to 2036.