Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – With the longest Spring Festival holiday of nine days approaching, domestic travel enthusiasm continues to rise, the tourism market is experiencing robust supply and demand, and bookings for both domestic and international tourism products have increased significantly year-on-year, marking the start of a hot "Spring Festival season."
Data from Mafengwo shows that in the past two weeks, searches related to "Spring Festival travel destinations" have increased by 253% month-on-month. Those born in the 1980s and 1990s are the main force of travelers, accounting for 64%, while those born in the 2000s have become a new force at 14%, with family travel highlighting the atmosphere of family fun.
Traditional folk tourism, ice and snow tourism, and winter escape tourism have become the three most popular themes. Beijing has launched a list of Spring Festival must-see destinations and travel guides, with 20 temple fairs, lantern festivals, intangible cultural heritage events, exhibitions, and other activities attracting tourists; ice and snow tourism continues to heat up in northeastern cities such as Harbin and Changchun, as well as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia; Hainan, as the first popular Spring Festival destination after the island's full closure, has seen a 191% year-on-year increase in hotel bookings, with significant increases in Haikou, Sanya, and Lingshui, and many other places offering a variety of winter escape options in Hainan and Guangdong.
Tourists are increasingly favoring quality travel and multi-faceted experiences, with bookings for high-star hotels increasing by nearly 70% year-on-year, and bookings for experiential products including folk customs, intangible cultural heritage, and distinctive cuisine increasing by over 40% year-on-year. Travel demand is shifting from simply "checking off tourist attractions" to "immersing oneself in the local culture," seeking relaxation and emotional fulfillment. City parks, old factories, and hidden gem shops are becoming new cultural tourism destinations.
Niche intangible cultural heritage towns continue to gain wider recognition, with significant increases in bookings for destinations such as Anyang, Chaozhou, and Shantou. Hotel bookings in intangible cultural heritage towns like Huangshan in Anhui, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, and Quanzhou in Fujian have surged, allowing tourists to experience intangible cultural heritage activities such as hairpin making, pottery throwing, and paper cutting, immersing themselves in the local atmosphere.
Outbound travel is showing a trend of "long-haul recovery and short-haul surge." Data from Utour shows that the number of long-haul outbound tourists increased by 60% year-on-year, while short-haul travel saw a 160% increase. Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Singapore are the most popular, while long-haul travel to Europe and Australia/New Zealand has seen significant growth. Visa-free destinations like Russia and Turkey are popular, with bookings for related products on Qunar.com increasing by 113% and 248% year-on-year, respectively. The Milan Winter Olympics coincide with the Spring Festival, leading to a 170% increase in searches for "watching the games + traveling" itineraries in Italy. Outbound travel is becoming more diversified, with day trip packages increasing by 57% year-on-year due to their convenience and flexibility.
The Spring Festival has also become a window for foreign tourists to experience Chinese culture. Data from Fliggy shows that in the past two weeks, bookings for Spring Festival flights by foreign tourists have increased more than fourfold year-on-year. Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing are popular first-time destinations, with foreign tourists visiting 20 cities including Shanghai and Chengdu, as well as many smaller, less-visited cities. South Korea and Vietnam are major source countries, while Argentina and the Netherlands saw significant year-on-year increases in tourist bookings. Russian tourist bookings increased by 471% due to visa-free policies.
