The Spring Festival holiday has just concluded, with people gradually returning to work. Today, let's review the cultural tourism and consumption data from this "longest-ever" Spring Festival holiday to see how everyone celebrated the Year of the Horse.
First, the cultural tourism market showed remarkable highlights. One interesting change this year was the rise of "reverse migration" for family reunions. While young people traditionally travel home, this year saw many parents visiting major cities. Platform data indicated a 40% year-on-year increase in scenic spot ticket bookings by seniors aged 60+, with more silver-haired visitors appearing at destinations like Beijing Universal Studios and Shanghai Disneyland. Meanwhile, many young people opted for smaller counties—hotel bookings in Yangshuo and Pingtan surged over fourfold. This two-way flow between parents exploring metropolitan areas and youths seeking tranquility in smaller towns created new possibilities for holiday experiences.
Additionally, domestic travel orders hit new records during the Spring Festival, while inbound flight bookings multiplied. Popular domestic destinations like Xi'an and Chengdu attracted international tourists wearing Hanfu to temple fairs, joining the festive atmosphere. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Data Center, domestic trips reached 596 million during the nine-day holiday, increasing by 95 million compared to the eight-day 2025 Spring Festival period. Total domestic tourism spending amounted to 803.483 billion yuan. The holiday attracted visitors from over 160 countries and regions, covering more than 300 Chinese cities with a 28.5% average daily growth compared to last year's holiday.
Beyond dining and drinking, many people sought traditional cultural experiences. Harbin, capitalizing on its ice-snow attractions and Spring Festival Gala exposure, saw packed crowds at Ice-Snow World and Central Street, with ice shows and folk culture activities fully booked. Luoyi Ancient City in Luoyang became the top nighttime attraction, drawing large audiences with lantern festivals and Guo Chao performances. Intangible cultural heritage markets gained significant traction, with group sales for "ICH + market" events rising substantially—fish lantern parades surged 15-fold while Yingge dance gained nationwide popularity. Young people swapped nightclubs for village fish lantern chases, intensifying the festive spirit and demonstrating growing willingness to pay for experiences, culture, and joy.
Two groups traveled particularly far this Spring Festival. One followed film locations—"Pegasus 3" boosted hotel bookings in Ganzi (Sichuan) and Delingha (Qinghai) by 100%. The other flew directly to Italy, as the Milan Winter Olympics coincided with the holiday, driving 200% spikes in hotel bookings for Milan and Venice. Netizens commented, "Celebrating the New Year while watching competitions abroad is quite interesting."
Another notable consumption shift emerged: green appliances, smart products, and healthy New Year goods gained popularity. Holiday spending increasingly emphasized quality, experience, and lifestyle improvement over low prices and bulk purchases, signaling healthier, higher-quality market development. Recently, the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, and State Taxation Administration launched lottery invoice pilots in 50 cities, allocating 10 billion yuan in subsidies during the six-month implementation period—including over 1 billion yuan dedicated to the nine-day Spring Festival holiday. Consequently, consumers enjoyed benefits whether purchasing goods, dining out, buying appliances, or traveling. Government initiatives, corporate discounts, and public benefits created more secure and reassuring spending environments.
Overall, three keywords summarize the Year of the Horse Spring Festival consumption market: popularity, confidence, and vitality. Popularity stemmed from public enthusiasm; confidence arose from supportive pro-consumer policies; vitality emerged from consumption upgrade trends. These mutually reinforcing elements highlighted the Chinese consumption market's resilience and potential, collectively painting a warm backdrop for high-quality economic development. With policy support and market vitality, the new year promises thriving livelihoods and galloping economic growth.
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