As family reunions continue, a travel boom has quietly emerged across the country. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL (00780) reveals that the nine-day Spring Festival holiday has made "split-style celebrating" increasingly popular. February 18th (the second day of the Lunar New Year) to February 19th (the third day) became the peak travel period during the holiday, with air travel activity surging 38% compared to the same period last year. Over the entire holiday, the number of passengers taking more than two flights is expected to increase by over 50% year-on-year. Driven by the composite model of "first reunite with family, then go on vacation," the peak for domestic hotel occupancy during the holiday became more pronounced. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data shows that the average price of domestic hotels during the core holiday period (first to fifth day of the Lunar New Year) was over 30% higher than pre-holiday prices, with rates in some popular tourist cities doubling or more. Furthermore, hotel stays of 2 to 4 days were predominant, with hotels near famous scenic spots and popular commercial districts being the most sought-after.
This year marks the second "Intangible Cultural Heritage Chinese New Year" since the successful UNESCO inscription of the Spring Festival. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data indicates that destinations like Shantou, Fuzhou, and Taiyuan, known for their unique traditions and strong immersive experiences, stood out, with ticket reservations and visitor numbers for popular attractions remaining high. While some travelers started long-haul international trips early by extending their leave, many others on the TONGCHENGTRAVEL platform chose short-haul international destinations like Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia during the holiday period.
The search for distinctive New Year experiences has become a major trend. "The older I get, the more I cherish that precious New Year atmosphere," said one traveler, who began planning a month in advance. Tired of traditional dragon dances and temple fairs, she sought a destination with a rich, unique Spring Festival experience this year. Many users shared this sentiment. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data shows that searches for keywords like "New Year atmosphere" surged 358% over the past two weeks. As of February 19th, cities including Shantou, Fuzhou, Chaozhou, Taiyuan, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Huangshan, Zigong, Kaifeng, and Shangrao ranked in the top 10 destinations for "unique New Year travel," making "celebrating the New Year where the atmosphere is strongest" a new trend.
Ancient intangible cultural heritage, exemplified by the Yingge dance, brought a surge of visitors to the Chaoshan area. Data shows that during the first half of the holiday, the ranking of inbound flight热度 to Chaoshan Airport climbed nearly 10 spots compared to last year. Besides Shanghai and Beijing, top source cities included Chongqing, Haikou, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Kunming. The Chaoshan area secured three spots in the national top 20 for popular hotel areas, located near Shantou's Small Park, Shantou MixC, and Chaozhou Ancient City, with popular room types like king beds and family rooms selling out early.
Fuzhou maintained high tourism热度 during the holiday, bolstered by its auspicious "City of Fortune" reputation and grand "parading deity"祈福 customs. As of February 19th, the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys scenic area broke into the national top 10热门景区榜单, with search热度 soaring over 500% week-on-week. Vibrant Spring Festival lantern displays and flower markets also filled Guangzhou with strong festive spirit, boosting热度 for major city attractions like Canton Tower and Guangzhou Chimelong Safari Park, which entered the national top 15热门景区榜单.
The influx of both "homecoming travel" and inter-provincial "travel to other places" drove up tourism热度 in central and western cities like Taiyuan (Shanxi), Xi'an (Shaanxi), Huangshan (Anhui), Kaifeng (Henan), and Shangrao (Jiangxi). Data shows that as of February 19th, hotels near Xi'an's Bell Tower, Great Tang All Day Mall, and Wansui Mountain Martial Arts City firmly occupied the top 5 spots nationally for popular hotel areas. Taiyuan, with its rich folk activities like Shehuo parades and intangible cultural heritage performances, became a热门去处 for visitors seeking traditional atmosphere; inbound flight热度 to Taiyuan Wusu Airport during the first half of the holiday increased 268% month-on-month. From the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, attractions like Lao Jun Mountain, Huangshan Scenic Area, Zigong Chinese Lantern World, and Gexian Village度假区 maintained high levels of ticket reservations and visitor traffic, with family tickets for "2 adults + 1 child" and "2 adults + 2 children" being most common.
Hainan Province experienced exceptionally high热度 this Spring Festival, its first since the island-wide customs closure operation began. Tourism market activity was in full swing. TONGCHENGTRAVEL platform data indicates that during the first half of the holiday, inbound flight热度 to Haikou Meilan Airport and Sanya Phoenix Airport surged over 300% compared to the previous month. Top source cities for flights to Haikou were primarily first-tier cities: Shenzhen, Beijing, Guangzhou, Zhengzhou, and Shanghai. Source cities for Sanya were more diverse: Beijing, Chengdu, Harbin, Xi'an, and Shanghai. Regarding hotel accommodation, as of February 19th, the proportion of bookings for high-quality hotels in Haikou and Sanya significantly exceeded the national average. Hotels in core bay areas like Sanya's Haitang Bay and Yalong Bay were particularly sought-after, with入住热度 in the Haitang Bay旅游度假区 increasing 156% month-on-month. Ocean-view suites, multi-bedroom family suites, and family-themed rooms were most popular. Homestays and度假酒店 in Wanning and Lingshui also saw peak occupancy during the holiday, with post-95s and post-00s年轻群体 seeking "high quality-price ratio" forming the main guest demographic. Specifically, hotels and homestays themed around seaside resorts and surfing were highly sought after, often fully booked during the peak period.
Despite the emergence of new destinations and特色小城 in recent years, classic destinations like Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming, and Harbin仍然 carried the bulk of passenger流量 during the Golden Week. Data shows that based on air travel热度 during the holiday, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Kunming, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Harbin firmly held positions as the top 10 domestic destinations. Many travelers practicing "split-style celebrating" chose Harbin as their preferred destination, with the proportion of travelers flying to Harbin during the holiday showing a significant increase compared to last year.
Compared to long-haul international travel which started early, short-haul international travel saw a second wave of高峰 during the holiday. Benefiting from visa-free policies, high cost-effectiveness, and warm, pleasant climates, several Southeast Asian cities became hot出境游 destinations. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data shows the top 10热门出境游 destinations during the core holiday period included Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong (China), Bali, Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City, Macau (China), and Phuket. In terms of activities, festive areas like Bangkok's Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur's Thean Hou Temple, and Singapore's Chinatown became popular打卡 spots. Regarding itinerary length, orders for 4 to 5-day international travel products accounted for over 70% of the total. Many travelers opted to "fly out on the second day and return满载而归 on the sixth," balancing traditional customs with an international度假.