China’s Tourism Boom: Preparing for Lunar New Year Travel Surge

Every year, China’s Lunar New Year generates one of the biggest travel surges on the planet. In 2025, the Spring Festival holiday produced over 500 million domestic trips in China and tens of millions of outbound journeys. Hotels sell out months in advance. Flights are booked solid. Attractions offer discounts to pull in the crowds.

If you are in the tourism business, anywhere in the world, you need to understand this market and position yourself for it. Here is the full picture for 2025-2026.

What Happens During Lunar New Year Travel Season

China’s Spring Festival is not just a holiday. It is the world’s largest annual human migration. Hundreds of millions of people travel in a span of about 40 days. In 2025, the National Immigration Administration recorded over 900 million passenger trips during the Spring Festival period across all transport modes.

Tourist destinations, both within China and internationally, adapt aggressively for this period:

• Domestic attractions offer deep discounts or free entry. Scenic spots from Sichuan to Xinjiang run promotions like “buy one get one free” or wave entry fees entirely. The goal is volume: get visitors in, get them spending on food, souvenirs, and accommodation.
• Winter tourism is booming. Destinations like Harbin, Changbaishan, and ski resorts in Inner Mongolia have seen record visitor numbers. China’s ski industry grew 15% in the 2024-2025 winter season.
• Outbound tourism surges. Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore are among the top international picks for Spring Festival travelers. Long-haul destinations like France, Italy, and Australia also see spikes.
• Short-video content drives destination choices. In 2024, Douyin’s travel-related videos during the Spring Festival period generated over 100 billion views. A scenic spot or hotel that trends on Douyin during this window can see its bookings multiply overnight.

Key Data: 2024-2025 Spring Festival Travel

• During the 2025 Spring Festival (40-day travel period), China recorded over 900 million domestic passenger trips, up 7% from 2024, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism data published via Xinhua.
• Outbound bookings for the 2025 Spring Festival on Ctrip were up 180% compared to 2024, with Thailand, Japan, and Singapore leading destination demand.
• Per-trip spending during the 2025 Spring Festival averaged RMB 1,180 per person domestically, a 12% increase over the previous year, signaling growing willingness to spend on travel experiences.

Sources: Xinhua News Agency covers official government tourism statistics released by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Ctrip publishes annual Spring Festival travel reports with booking trend data and destination rankings.

How Businesses Are Preparing for the 2026 Lunar New Year

Smart operators do not wait until January to start preparing for Lunar New Year traffic. The planning phase starts in October and November. Here is what works:

• Content calendars timed for Chinese social platforms. Build your Douyin and Xiaohongshu content around travel themes weeks before the holiday. Travelers start dreaming before they start booking.
• Early-bird promotions on Ctrip and Fliggy. Chinese travelers who plan ahead book early. Package deals with clear value propositions convert well in November and December for February travel.
• Red envelope campaigns on WeChat. The digital red envelope (hongbao) is a cultural touch point during New Year. Brands that run WeChat hongbao promotions during Spring Festival see strong engagement spikes.
• Partnerships with Chinese KOLs. Influencers on Xiaohongshu and Douyin who cover your destination or category during the run-up to Lunar New Year can generate massive reach at relatively low cost compared to paid advertising.

See how we build Spring Festival campaigns at our Chinese digital marketing agency.

Why Your Chinese Digital Presence Matters

Lunar New Year is the biggest booking moment of the Chinese travel year. To capture it, you need to be visible on Chinese platforms before the decision is made. Here is what you need in place:

• Chinese website with ICP license, hosted on Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud. Fast loading in China is the baseline requirement.
• Douyin is where destination inspiration happens. During Spring Festival season, travel content on Douyin gets extraordinary reach. One strong video at the right time changes your numbers.
• Xiaohongshu (RED) is where travelers validate their choices. Past guest posts, location tags, and review content on this platform directly influence booking decisions.
• Baidu PPC lets you appear at the top of search results when Chinese travelers are actively looking for holiday options. This is high-intent traffic.
• WeChat keeps your past visitors engaged and lets you push Spring Festival promotions directly to people who already know and like your brand.

Check out our full services, our Douyin strategy, and our WeChat marketing approach.

FAQ: Lunar New Year Tourism and China’s Travel Boom

When is the best time to start marketing to Chinese tourists for Lunar New Year?

Start at least 3 months before the holiday. Chinese travelers, especially for outbound trips, book earlier than you might expect. Hotels and flights for the Spring Festival period fill up in November and December. Your Douyin and Xiaohongshu content should be building awareness by October. Your paid campaigns on Baidu and WeChat should be running by December at the latest.

What types of travel are most popular during Chinese Lunar New Year?

Domestically, winter tourism is the big growth story. Ski resorts, ice festivals, and warm southern beach destinations like Sanya all see peak demand. For outbound travel, Southeast Asia dominates, with Thailand and Malaysia leading. Japan and South Korea are strong performers. Long-haul European and Australian destinations also see significant spikes from wealthier travelers who use the long holiday window for bigger trips.

How do Chinese travelers book trips for the Spring Festival?

Predominantly through Chinese OTAs: Ctrip (the largest), Fliggy (Alibaba’s travel platform), and Meituan for domestic hospitality. Social commerce is also growing. Many travelers find a destination on Xiaohongshu or Douyin and book directly through the platform or a linked OTA. Having your property listed on Ctrip with good photos, accurate pricing, and Chinese-language descriptions is a basic requirement for this market.

Is the Chinese tourism market still growing post-pandemic?

Yes, and it is growing fast. China’s outbound tourism reached 130 million trips in 2024 and is tracking toward pre-pandemic levels of around 155 million annually by 2026-2027. Domestic tourism is already well past 2019 figures. The travel appetite among Chinese consumers is strong, spending per trip is rising, and the variety of destinations being explored is wider than before the pandemic. This is a market in growth mode.

Don’t Miss This Window

Lunar New Year is the single biggest moment in Chinese travel. The businesses that prepare early, show up on Chinese platforms, and make the booking process easy for Chinese travelers are the ones that win. The opportunity is right there. You just need to reach for it.

Start building your Chinese market presence today. Visit our services page and let us show you how.

Marcus Zhan is a digital strategist at CTA with over 10 years of experience helping international brands grow in China. He specializes in Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Chinese SEO.