The first "Spring Golden Week without holiday adjustments" has significantly boosted long-distance travel, family trips, concert-driven tourism, and inbound travel. Many regions across the country are enjoying their first-ever spring break, which, combined with the three-day Qingming holiday, has created an extended six-day "Spring Golden Week." According to data from Qunar, the overlap of spring break and Qingming holiday travelers on April 3–4 led to a peak in outbound travel. This year, more families have upgraded from short nearby trips to extended spring vacations, with the number of travelers journeying over 800 kilometers increasing by more than 30%. Bookings for popular flight routes rose by 40% year-on-year, and hotel reservations in key cities also saw notable growth. Provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Sichuan have already piloted spring break programs, with many aligning the break with the Qingming holiday to form a six-day mini Golden Week. So, which cities have absorbed this surge in travel demand? Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that since mid-March, cities including Nanjing, Suzhou, and Chengdu have seen significant increases in travel product bookings. Nanjing led with a 148% year-on-year growth in user booking interest, followed by Suzhou and Chengdu with increases of 126% and 113%, respectively. Family-friendly destinations such as Shanghai LEGOLAND, Shanghai Disneyland, and Universal Beijing Resort have become particularly popular among travelers from Sichuan, with bookings for family packages (two adults and one child) surging 1.9 times month-on-month. Beyond traditional tourist hubs, cities like Zhoushan, Guilin, Hefei, and Nanning have also emerged as favored choices for family trips, with related flight and hotel bookings up 45% year-on-year. Qunar data indicates that major cities rich in tourism resources and Jiangnan water towns ideal for spring outings are among the top destinations, with Beijing taking the lead. As of now, the top 10 cities for hotel bookings during the Qingming holiday are Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Changsha. With Qingming overlapping with spring break, spring sightseeing remains a dominant theme. Scenic spots such as Yangzhou’s Slender West Lake, Huangshan in Anhui, Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden, Huashan Mountain, Wuyuan Huangling in Shangrao, and Yuantouzhu in Taihu Lake, Wuxi, are all among the top 20 most-searched destinations. Analysts from Qunar’s Big Data Research Institute note that the spring break has made this year’s Qingming holiday unusually busy, potentially transforming it from a seasonal observance into a tourism-driven holiday. More people are opting for air travel over local outings, and long-haul trips are replacing short-distance drives, further stimulating domestic consumption. Additionally, facilitated visa policies and the ongoing popularity of "China Travel" have attracted more international visitors during the Qingming period. Qunar data shows inbound travelers from countries such as Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan have increased more than fourfold. On-site visits reveal that an increasing number of international tourists are visiting integrated bath and wellness centers, which offer hot springs, dining, therapy, and entertainment. Shuiguo Hot Spring, which has branches in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, reported a significant influx of foreign tourists during the holiday, with long queues and waiting times often exceeding an hour in dining and rest areas. Notably, multiple concerts and music festivals held during the Qingming holiday have drawn large numbers of fans to host cities. For example, Jay Chou’s concerts in Hangzhou from April 3–5 drove a 1.6-fold increase in hotel bookings near the Olympic Sports Center venue. As of April 3, advanced hotel bookings in Hangzhou even surpassed those in Shanghai. A check of booking platforms such as Ctrip showed that the Hampton by Hilton near Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, which usually charges between 396 and 457 yuan per night, raised prices to 1,588–2,888 yuan during the concert period—a nearly sixfold increase. Many hotels around West Lake also doubled or tripled their rates during the holiday. The concerts were nearly sold out, significantly boosting spending on dining, accommodation, transportation, and peripheral shopping. Reports indicate that Jay Chou’s official virtual IP, "Brother Zhou," has a prominent presence across Hangzhou. Organizers launched the "Finding Brother Zhou—Fireworks·Hangzhou" event to explore integrated development of culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and performance. Hangzhou’s public transport system introduced special concert shuttle buses, dubbed "Concert Hi-Buses," experimenting with new models combining public transport, tourism, and music. In parallel, the Binjiang Intime Mall hosted a VR exhibition of Brother Zhou’s Hangzhou city tour, offering immersive historical experiences through virtual reality, along with a themed pop-up store selling limited-edition co-branded merchandise. These initiatives represent innovative efforts to merge technology with cultural, commercial, and tourism experiences.
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