Longer Spring Festival break fuels travel boom

The longest Spring Festival holiday in recent years — lasting nine days starting Sunday — has ignited people's passion for travel, with both domestic destinations and overseas locations attracting significant interest.

In 2024 and 2025, the holiday lasted eight days, while it was a seven-day break in 2023. A recent report by the China Association of Travel Services and domestic travel agency Tuniu showed that the longer the duration of the holiday, the longer people traveled for. According to the report, the average trip duration has increased since 2023, with people set to spend 5.9 days traveling over the upcoming holiday, up 1.1 days from the previous Spring Festival.

"The first wave of travel rush started around Wednesday and will peak on Saturday or Sunday — the day before and the first day of the holiday," said Qi Chunguang, vice-president of Tuniu, adding that travel for sightseeing and entertainment will peak on Feb 18 — the fourth day of the holiday — after the family reunions.

Travel agencies noted that destinations featuring strong traditional Chinese festive vibes have become increasingly popular. Locations with tropical climates and those showcasing snow and ice views were also hot favorites.

Fuzhou, in the eastern province of Fujian, ranked among the top five destinations for hotel bookings on travel portal Qunar for the first time. The city's centuries-old folk ritual, known as youshen, or the "Parade of the Gods", became a huge hit during last year's Spring Festival.

During the parade, people dance and carry elaborate statues of gods through the streets to drive away evil spirits and pray for blessings. As of Jan 30, Qunar reported a more than 80 percent increase in hotel bookings in Fuzhou from last year's Spring Festival holiday, which fell in late January.

Huangshan city in Anhui province, where visitors can enjoy fish-shaped lantern shows and engage in lantern-making activities, remains a popular choice this holiday. Qunar noted a 1.5-fold increase in hotel bookings compared with last year.

"I'm totally hooked on the fish lantern shows. I've seen many beautiful pictures and videos on Xiaohongshu and I booked my family a four-day trip to Huangshan," said Wang Lixin, 32, a resident of Zhengzhou, Henan province.

Southern provinces with their mild and subtropical climates, such as Hainan and Guangdong, are top choices for residents of northern China who are keen to escape the cold during the holiday. On the other hand, southern residents appear eager to experience "the world of ice and snow" in northern destinations, according to the report.

The longer holiday has also boosted overseas travel. Qunar reported hotel bookings in nearly 3,000 cities worldwide, with those in Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia being popular and seen as value for money.

Some previously niche overseas destinations, such as Turkiye and Uzbekistan, have introduced visa-free policies for Chinese travelers. Turkiye, for example, announced in January that Chinese citizens with regular passports can stay up to 90 days for tourism or transit.

Hotel bookings to Turkiye for the Spring Festival holiday have increased 1.5-fold compared with 2025, and Uzbekistan saw bookings by Chinese travelers grow more than fourfold during the holiday, according to Qunar.

China's National Immigration Administration estimated on Thursday that the Chinese mainland will see daily inbound and outbound visits exceed 2.05 million during the holiday, a 14.1 percent increase from the previous Spring Festival holiday.

Outbound travel will peak on Sunday, the first day of the holiday, while inbound travel will peak on Feb 22 and Feb 23, as the holiday ends.

chengsi@chinadaily.com.cn