Domestic air travel demand on February 14, 2026—the final working day before the Spring Festival holiday—increased by more than 40% compared to the previous week, according to data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL. The coincidence of Valentine's Day with the pre-holiday period created a dual boost from romantic and festive spending, driving a sharp rise in cultural and tourism consumption.
Encouraged by extended leave arrangements, many travelers began their holidays early, leading to a new wave of hotel bookings on February 14. Reservations in some popular small cities more than doubled compared to the same period last year.
Top domestic flight destinations on February 14 included Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Guiyang, and Harbin. Routes to non-first-tier cities showed particularly strong growth, with destinations such as Nanping in Fujian, Anyang in Henan, Shiyan in Hubei, Chizhou in Anhui, and Jixi in Heilongjiang all recording year-on-year booking increases exceeding 80%.
While many travelers headed home for the Spring Festival, others embarked on international trips. Popular outbound destinations on February 14 included Seoul in South Korea, Bangkok in Thailand, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Singapore. Long-haul overseas travel also saw significant growth, rising more than 40% compared to the previous year.
February 14 marked a turning point in Spring Festival travel patterns, as many combined Valentine's Day with the holiday to create an extended 10-day break. Traveler volume peaked in the afternoon before gradually declining, with steady growth expected from February 15 to 21.
Domestic hotel bookings surged on Valentine's Day, especially in first-tier cities. The top 10 cities for hotel reservations on February 14 were Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kunming, Xi’an, Xiamen, and Hangzhou. Upscale hotels and specialty room types such as couple suites and media rooms saw bookings increase by more than 20% week-on-week. Hourly room bookings rose over 35%, with some hotels near airports and train stations fully booked.
Staying in hotels during the Spring Festival has evolved from a niche choice to a growing trend. Small cities with rich cultural activities also attracted "reverse vacationers." Nearly 300 county-level destinations saw hotel bookings more than double year-on-year, over 80% of which were in southern China. Top county destinations included Nanao County in Shantou, Tengchong in Baoshan, Yangshuo in Guilin, Wuyuan in Shangrao, Lingshui Li Autonomous County in Hainan, Pingtan in Fuzhou, Chun'an in Hangzhou, Dêqên County in Diqing, Antu County in Yanbian, and Yī County in Huangshan.
Short-haul international trips remained popular, while long-haul travel also grew significantly. Bookings for Russia increased over 160% year-on-year, with Turkey and Spain also seeing growth exceeding 100%. The top cities for long-haul overseas travel departures on February 14 were Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Urumqi, Nanjing, and Chongqing. Chengdu led growth with a more than 300% year-on-year increase.
Several countries launched Chinese New Year-themed events to attract tourists. For example, Moscow will host an international Chinese New Year festival from February 16 to March 1, featuring thousands of paper lanterns, public celebrations, performances, workshops, and tea ceremonies.