In recent years, the traditional one-way family reunion pattern of "children returning to their hometowns" has been broken. An increasing number of families are opting out of homogenized New Year celebrations, choosing instead to bring elders to the city or travel with friends and relatives to other destinations, unlocking differentiated Spring Festival experiences in diverse cultural settings. As the Year of the Horse approaches, a 9-day super-long holiday is fueling the continued rise of the "reverse New Year" trend, which has become a prominent new custom for the current Spring Festival season.
Data from Meituan Travel on January 27 shows that during the 2026 Spring Festival travel period, ticket bookings for "reverse New Year" trips have increased significantly. From early February to mid-to-late February, air ticket bookings for "reverse New Year" travel have surged 84% compared to the same period last year, with Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen being the top destinations for this trend.
"Reverse New Year" airfares offer significant price advantages. Although train tickets for the Spring Festival holiday are not yet on sale, reservation orders have already grown by more than half. Looking at flight bookings, the top 10 popular destinations for "reverse New Year" are Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Tianjin. The Meituan App indicates that this "reverse New Year" travel pattern offers substantial price benefits on airfare.
For instance, on February 14th, a flight from Wuhan to Beijing costs only 399 yuan, whereas a flight from Beijing to Wuhan is priced as high as 1,479 yuan, a difference of nearly a thousand yuan. It is reported that travel flows for "reverse New Year" heading to first- or second-tier cities or niche destinations generally have ticket prices 30% to 50% lower than the return-home direction due to ample ticket availability, and traveling during off-peak times helps avoid congestion.
Simultaneously, intangible cultural heritage activities in various locations are attracting many tourists to experience them. A Ms. Li from Chengdu plans to take her elderly parents and children to Jieyang, Guangdong during the Spring Festival to experience the charm of the national intangible cultural heritage, "Yingge Dance." Data from Meituan Travel shows that during the Spring Festival period, flight bookings to Jieyang have increased by 166% year-on-year, with major source markets including Nanjing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Ningbo; driven by intangible heritage projects like "Yingge Dance," Jieyang's cultural tourism popularity has surged 517% year-on-year.
Warm-weather escapes and ice-snow tourism remain highly popular during the Spring Festival. Harbin continues to maintain high popularity, attracting southern tourists to its winter wonderland this year. According to Meituan Travel data, transportation bookings to Harbin during the Spring Festival grew by 162%, with tourists from Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Jinan choosing to celebrate the New Year in Harbin.
There are also many warm-winter trips to destinations like Kunming and Sanya. Meituan Travel data indicates that air ticket bookings to these locations have increased by at least five times compared to the same period last year. Many families are also keen on short-distance trips to experience New Year festivities.
"After having the New Year's Eve dinner at home, we plan to take our parents to Zigong on the second day of the New Year to eat and explore." Local tourists from Chengdu can reach Zigong by high-speed rail in 40 minutes to see the lantern festival and experience the unique Spring Festival folk customs of southern Sichuan; tourists from Shanghai and Fuzhou are also heading to Huangshan for hiking and to see the fish lanterns. Cities within the "four-hour high-speed rail circle" have become the flexible first choice for family leisure vacations during the holiday.
The peak period for returning home is concentrated around February 14th. According to the China State Railway Group notice, the 2026 Spring Festival travel period runs from February 2nd to March 13th, lasting 40 days. Since the 2026 Spring Festival holiday has one more day than the 2025 holiday, overall travel arrangements are more relaxed. Meituan Travel data shows that the peak for returning home is concentrated around February 14th, with February 22nd being the peak for return journeys.
Among travelers, those choosing air travel generally depart "one day later" than those traveling by train. In terms of destinations, the top 10 destinations for train travel are Qingdao, Chongqing, Anshan, Longyan, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Qiqihar, Longkou, Beijing, Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, and Longyou. The top 10 destinations for air travel are Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Kunming, Hangzhou, Haikou, and Xi'an.
The opening of multiple new high-speed rail lines in 2025, such as the Wuhan-Yichang section of the Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu Yangtze River High-Speed Rail and the Shenyang-Baishan High-Speed Rail which commenced operation in the second half of the year, has significantly shortened return journeys. Taking the Shenyang-Baishan High-Speed Rail as an example, Meituan Travel data shows that bookings from Shenyang to Baishan City have increased by 175%.
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