On January 20, Tongcheng Travel released its "2026 Spring Festival Travel Trends Report." The report indicates that the first pre-holiday travel peak for civil aviation and railways is expected to occur around February 6, with the highest passenger volumes anticipated on February 13 and 14. During the Spring Festival travel period, average domestic airfare prices have seen a slight increase compared to the same period last year. For popular routes, the top pre-holiday railway departure cities are concentrated in first-tier cities and regional hubs like Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Beijing, while top civil aviation departure cities are centered on Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The "longest Spring Festival holiday in history" has significantly boosted demand for multiple trips during this year's travel rush. It is projected that 13% of air passengers and over 30% of railway passengers will undertake more than one trip, marking the highest levels since 2023.
The report forecasts that the first major travel peak for the 2026 Spring Festival period is expected around February 7 (the 20th day of the 12th lunar month), with the highest pre-holiday passenger volumes for national civil aviation and railways anticipated on February 13 and 14. February 16 (New Year's Eve) and February 17 (the first day of the Lunar New Year) will see the lowest passenger volumes for the entire travel period. The return trip peak is expected around February 23 (the 7th day of the first lunar month). In terms of passenger composition, the 2026 Spring Festival travel flow remains predominantly composed of people returning to their hometowns. Following the pre-holiday exodus and post-holiday return of migrant workers and employees, railway and air traffic between central cities and major labor-exporting regions continues to exhibit a distinct "tidal" pattern. Simultaneously, driven by the "longest Spring Festival holiday in history," robust travel demand during the extended break is expected to increase the proportion of tourist traffic within the overall Spring Festival passenger flow. Based on Tongcheng Travel's flight booking data up to January 19, the average price for domestic flights during this year's travel period exceeds 950 yuan (excluding airport construction and fuel surcharges), while the average price for international flights is approximately 900 yuan (excluding taxes), both showing a slight increase year-on-year. Specifically, the average fare for popular domestic routes during the pre-holiday peak is expected to surpass 1,100 yuan, and for popular routes during the return peak, it is projected to be over 1,300 yuan.
Similar to previous years, the popular departure and arrival cities for national railway travel during the 2026 Spring Festival period show distinct patterns before and after the holiday. According to search data from the Tongcheng Travel platform cited in the report, pre-holiday railway departures are primarily concentrated in first-tier cities and regional centers, including: Guangzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Wuhan, and Kunming. Popular pre-holiday arrival cities mainly include Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Changsha, Wuhan, and Nanchang. Post-holiday departures are relatively concentrated in central and western regions and popular tourist cities, such as Chongqing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, Guiyang, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Kunming, Changsha, and Wuhan. Post-holiday arrival cities are predominantly first-tier cities and regional centers, mainly Guangzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai. Furthermore, during the Spring Festival holiday, there is strong demand for short and medium-distance intercity travel within regions like the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, southwestern urban clusters, and central urban clusters. Popular routes include Shanghai-Nanjing, Guangzhou-Shenzhen, Beijing-Tianjin, and Chengdu-Chongqing. For civil aviation, popular domestic routes during this year's travel period mainly include Shanghai-Chengdu, Guangzhou-Shanghai, Shenzhen-Shanghai, Shanghai-Shenzhen, Shanghai-Guangzhou, and Shanghai-Kunming. With the continuous growth in the number of Chinese working or doing business abroad in recent years, the demand for international travel to return home during the Spring Festival has been rising annually. Report data shows that this year's popular departure cities for overseas workers returning home include Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Vientiane, Moscow, and Jakarta. Arrival cities for flights carrying returning overseas workers are mainly concentrated in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Qingdao, Chengdu, Harbin, Fuzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shenzhen. To address the travel needs of overseas workers returning for the Spring Festival, Tongcheng Travel has specifically launched the "Worry-Free Journey Home" campaign. In collaboration with partners including China Southern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, Vietnam Airport Corporation, and Air China, they are offering "early bird" flight discounts and hotel voucher promotions to assist overseas workers in returning home smoothly for the New Year.
The proportion of railway passengers undertaking more than two trips is expected to exceed 30%, while the share of family travel groups for air travel has surpassed last year's level. The 2026 "longest Spring Festival holiday in history" has significantly stimulated demand for multiple trips during the holiday period, thereby increasing the overall demand for multiple journeys throughout the Spring Festival travel season. Data from the report suggests that the proportion of air ticket users requiring more than two trips during the 2026 travel period could reach 13%, while the proportion of railway passengers with such needs might exceed 30%, both representing new highs since 2023. In terms of the nature of these multi-trip demands, they are primarily for tourism, vacations, and visiting relatives and friends. The extended nine-day holiday allows people to combine returning home with leisure travel and also undertake multiple short trips around their location. Regarding passenger demographics, the proportion of family travel involving children has increased significantly compared to previous years. Report data indicates that family groups are expected to constitute 39% of air ticket users during the travel period, notably higher than the same period last year. Concurrently, the share of passengers aged 60 and above (the "silver-haired" demographic) will reach 19%, also higher than the previous year's level.
Queries related to the Spring Festival travel rush on Travel AI have increased by over 100% month-on-month, while the number of first-time flyers has grown by more than 30% year-on-year. The deep integration of Travel AI is anticipated to be a major highlight of the 2026 Spring Festival travel period. During this year's peak travel season, the phenomenon of "hard-to-get tickets" on popular routes remains pronounced, but Travel AI offers a "god's-eye view" for travel planning. As the peak booking period for train and flight tickets arrives, queries to DeepTrip, the travel intelligence agent developed by Tongcheng Travel, regarding Spring Festival travel planning surged by over 100% in the past week. In response to frequent queries like "can't get train tickets," "airfares are too expensive," and "no direct flights," DeepTrip provides solutions such as transfer options, air-rail combined travel, and traveling during off-peak times, based on the transportation infrastructure conditions between origin and destination cities. Notably, DeepTrip can offer travel plans that include newly opened flight routes, connecting flights, and new high-speed rail lines, helping users discover travel options beyond their initial awareness. A significant increase in first-time flyers is another notable aspect of the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush. The report predicts that the number of first-time flyers on the Tongcheng Travel platform will increase by over 30% during this year's travel period, with potentially higher growth rates on popular tourist and homebound routes. Data shows that first-time flyers are predominantly young people, with the 18 to 26 age group accounting for 35% of first-time flyers, and teenagers under 18 comprising about 6%.
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