The extended Spring Festival holiday, noted as the longest in history, delivered a robust performance in travel consumption. During the peak travel period, many popular attractions across the country faced ticket shortages, while nearby and long-distance trips emerged as highlights. On February 23, TONGCHENGTRAVEL (00780) released its "2026 Spring Festival Holiday Travel Consumption Review Report," summarizing new trends and characteristics in travel spending during the holiday based on platform data.
According to the report, traditional Lunar New Year customs remained a major draw for the holiday tourism market, with domestic travelers seeking authentic festive experiences. Celebrations in Guangdong and Fujian became particularly popular, with Shantou standing out as a rising destination. During the first Spring Festival after Hainan’s island-wide customs closure, the province saw record tourism interest, with hotel bookings increasing over 70% year-on-year.
Ice and snow destinations also saw strong demand, with Harbin ranking among the top choices. Indoor ski resorts in southern China became a preferred option for locals. Meanwhile, a mix of "hometown return trips" and "reverse migration travel"—where families gather in major cities—drove tourism in central and western regions. Cities like Chongqing and Chengdu saw local booking increases exceeding 100%.
Another emerging trend was travelers using AI for trip planning, with younger generations consulting AI for local customs and activities. The extended holiday also boosted long-haul outbound travel, with destinations such as Milan seeing hotel bookings rise over 200%.
Guangdong emerged as the most popular destination for traditional New Year celebrations. Shantou and other cities in the province recorded over 80% growth in hotel bookings compared to the previous year. The province promoted its cultural festivities under the theme "Spend the New Year in Guangdong," combining intangible cultural heritage with modern experiences. Chaozhou and Shantou attracted visitors with immersive activities such as deity processions and Yingge drum performances.
Fuzhou also drew crowds with its "Celebrate the New Year in Fuzhou" campaign, organizing over 1,800 events including lantern festivals, fireworks, and heritage tours. Ganzhou and Dehong attracted tourists with ethnic minority New Year traditions, leading to doubled bookings for local homestays during peak periods.
Hainan’s tourism popularity reached new highs, supported by events like the Haikou Spring Festival Fair. Hotel bookings across the island grew more than 70% year-on-year.
Popular winter destinations included Harbin, Changbai Mountain, Altay, and Zhangjiakou. Ice and snow theme parks in Harbin, Qipanshan, and Changchun were especially popular among families. As one of the venues for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Harbin’s Ice and Snow World maintained strong attendance. Indoor ski resorts in Nantong, Huzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, and Changchun also saw high demand.
In central and western cities such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi’an, Bijie, Zhengzhou, Taiyuan, Shaoyang, Zhoukou, Fuyang, and Nanchong, local travelers accounted for a significant share of hotel and attraction bookings. In some areas, over 60% of bookings came from local residents. Meanwhile, "reverse migration travel" contributed to tourism growth in major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Flight bookings from central and western cities to these hubs increased nearly 40% in the week before the holiday, with a notable rise in travelers aged 50 and above.
Smaller counties also gained popularity, with Yixian County (Huangshan), Yangshuo County (Guilin), Pingyao County (Jinzhong), Pingtan County (Fuzhou), Chengjiang City (Yuxi), and Wuyuan County (Shangrao) seeing significant increases in hotel and attraction bookings. Yixian, Yangshuo, and Pingyao each recorded over 400% growth in accommodation bookings. These destinations attracted visitors with well-preserved ancient villages, traditional activities, and scenic spots.
AI played a notable role in travel planning this year. DeepTrip, TONGCHENGTRAVEL’s AI travel assistant, reported that 57.4% of user inquiries were related to transportation, 20% involved attractions, and 12.9% focused on local New Year customs—surpassing questions about hotel stays. Younger travelers, in particular, used AI to learn about local traditions and better plan their itineraries.
Long-haul international travel saw a significant uptick during the nine-day holiday. Short-haul destinations such as South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau, and Indonesia remained popular, but long-haul trips to Italy, Spain, Australia, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark grew noticeably. Europe, in particular, saw strong interest. Many families traveled to Milan for the Winter Olympics and extended their trips to cities like Rome and Venice. Hotel bookings in Milan and Venice increased by over 200%. Ski resorts in Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, and Turkey also attracted Chinese skiing enthusiasts. Popular European tour packages included combinations of Paris, Rome, Milan, Venice, the Louvre, Versailles, Nice, and Monaco, as well as multi-country itineraries covering Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.
Comments