China Celebrates Record Tourism Boost from Extended Lunar New Year Holiday
China's recent nine-day Lunar New Year holiday has delivered a substantial boost to domestic travel and consumer expenditure, successfully meeting government objectives to stimulate household exploration, shopping, and entertainment. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism revealed on Tuesday that domestic trips during the festive period surged to an impressive 596 million, with total tourism spending reaching 803.5 billion yuan, equivalent to approximately $116.81 billion.
Significant Growth in Tourism Metrics
Both the number of trips and total spending showed a remarkable increase of almost 19 per cent compared to the equivalent holiday period last year, which was notably one day shorter, according to Reuters' calculations based on official ministry data. However, domestic tourism spending per trip experienced a slight decline of 0.2 per cent, indicating a marginal shift in consumer behaviour.
Popular Destinations and Visitor Experiences
Major scenic sites across the country were inundated with visitors, from the iconic Great Wall in Beijing to the unique Danxia landform in Guangdong. Even smaller, more remote villages in Fujian witnessed an influx of tourists, attracted by traditional folk activities such as "you shen", a vibrant parade honouring local deities. The high demand was evident to individuals like Liu Jian, a 32-year-old Beijing resident, who described her difficulty in securing tickets for a popular molten-iron fireworks display in Tangshan, a two-hour journey from the capital.
"The ticket is 98 yuan, significantly more than the usual 38, but they've introduced numerous Spring Festival-only shows, making it highly popular. Tickets sell out instantly upon release, and I simply cannot obtain one," she explained.
Regional Tourism Highlights
In Sichuan province, the Jiuzhaigou scenic area reported receiving 182,700 visitors during the Spring Festival through February 23, representing a 17.7 per cent increase from last year's holiday. Similarly, Zhangjiajie, a renowned mountain park in central China, announced via its official WeChat account that visitor numbers in the first five days of the break rose by 10.27 per cent year-on-year.
Major urban centres also posted strong results. Shanghai authorities stated the city welcomed 21.67 million visitors over the holiday, an increase of 8.36 per cent, while tourism-related spending reached 25.6 billion yuan, up 20.9 per cent. Beijing reported 19.84 million visitors and total tourism spending of 33.14 billion yuan.
Emerging Trends in Travel and Dining
Travel platforms noted that lower-tier cities and county-level destinations benefited from a growing interest in a more traditional holiday atmosphere. LY.COM highlighted Guangdong as a standout for "New Year flavour" trips, with hotel bookings in destinations such as Shantou rising by more than 80 per cent from a year earlier.
The dining sector performed robustly, with sales revenue at key catering businesses monitored by the Ministry of Commerce increasing by 5.2 per cent compared to the holiday last year. Hotpot chain Haidilao served over 7 million customers nationwide in the first five days of the holiday, with traffic on Lunar New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year up by more than 10 per cent from the same period last year.
Consumer Spending in Lower-Tier Markets
Chinese-style fried chicken brand Lin Yu Fried Chicken reported that the surge of people returning home for the Spring Festival boosted consumption in lower-tier markets, with its stores receiving more than 3.7 million visits during the holiday period. One outlet located in a scenic area of Rizhao in Shandong province saw order volume nearly seven times higher than on regular days.
Contrast with Box Office Performance
The positive trends in travel and catering contrasted sharply with a slump at the box office, a key holiday indicator of discretionary spending. Several new releases experienced weakening word of mouth, which dampened cinema attendance. Data from ticketing platform Maoyan showed Spring Festival box office takings of 5.75 billion yuan, down 39.5 per cent from a year earlier, while total admissions fell 35.8 per cent to 120 million.
