As the 2026 New Year countdown begins, TONGCHENGTRAVEL's "2026 New Year Holiday Travel Trends Report" reveals a surge in travel demand. Searches for "New Year's Eve" and "New Year" on the platform have increased by over 280% month-on-month, with flight and hotel bookings for the holiday period up nearly 30% year-on-year. The three-day holiday is expected to further unleash travel demand, with trends split between "winter sports" and "warm-weather escapes." Some travelers opt for short trips within a 100-300 km radius, while others extend their holidays for international travel, creating a mix of domestic and overseas trips.
The report highlights that young travelers, in particular, seek "ceremony-filled" New Year's Eve experiences. Popular activities include fireworks displays, concert celebrations, and New Year blessings. Theme parks, such as Beijing Universal Resort, Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, and Shanghai Disney Resort (featuring its "Light Up the New Year" castle projection and fireworks show), rank among the top 10 attractions for the holiday. Cities hosting fireworks events are also seeing increased hotel bookings.
Another trend is "following concerts for New Year's Eve," with cities like Guangzhou, Chongqing, Beijing, and Chengdu hosting performances. Flight and hotel bookings in these cities have risen significantly. Meanwhile, spiritual experiences like temple blessings at Suzhou’s Hanshan Temple, Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple, and Shanghai’s Longhua Temple have gained popularity, with searches up over 80%. Lingyin Temple’s recent free admission policy is expected to attract more visitors.
For those preferring quieter celebrations, destinations like Wanning, Lingshui, and Sanya offer beachside relaxation. Some travelers opt for hotels with high-definition projectors to enjoy New Year’s Eve TV specials, leading to increased demand for premium "cinema-style" rooms.
The holiday also sees a "north-south migration," with southern travelers heading to snowy destinations like Harbin, Changchun, and Altay, while northerners escape to warmer spots like Sanya, Haikou, and Guangzhou. Flight prices to Harbin, for example, have doubled from early December to New Year's Eve. Winter activities such as "ice-spraying" in Mohe, snow-hot springs in Yanji, and glacier visits in Yunnan and Sichuan are trending. Indoor ski resorts like Shanghai’s Snow World and Shenzhen’s Snow Miracle are also popular.
For international travel, taking three days off (Dec 29-31) creates an eight-day holiday, boosting overseas bookings by over 30%. Short-haul destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand remain popular, while long-haul flights to Australia, Turkey, and Switzerland are gaining traction. Many travelers combine city and island trips in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia’s Mataking Island, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc, and Thailand’s Phuket topping the list.
Russia’s visa-free policy for Chinese travelers has spurred interest in New Year’s Eve trips to see the Northern Lights, with flights to Moscow up 60% and hotel bookings rising 50%.
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