The 2026 Spring Festival holiday, dubbed the "longest ever," has concluded, with tourism markets across many regions operating at full capacity. Data on holiday travel consumption from multiple platforms including Tongcheng Travel, Qunar, Meituan Travel, and Fliggy indicate that traditional New Year customs and culture remained the main attraction of the 2026 Spring Festival tourism market. The pursuit of authentic "New Year atmosphere" was the core theme for domestic travel. Concurrently, "reverse New Year visits," where parents travel to their children's cities instead of the reverse, evolved from a niche choice into a popular trend, significantly altering travel patterns and consumption structures during the holiday period.
The 2026 Spring Festival cultural and tourism market saw widespread growth, with not only an increase in orders but also a continuous rise in per capita travel spending. Data from Fliggy shows that domestic travel orders during the holiday reached a new record high. Ticket orders increased by over 80% year-on-year, while hotel room nights booked grew by 75%. The average booking value per person for domestic travel during the Spring Festival holiday increased by approximately 10% compared to the previous year.
Guangdong province emerged as a major winner in the "New Year atmosphere" tourism segment this Spring Festival. Data from Tongcheng Travel indicates that among popular destinations emphasizing traditional "New Year flavor," southern cities like Shantou, Fuzhou, and Ganzhou ranked at the top. Hotel booking popularity in Shantou saw a year-on-year increase exceeding 80%, placing it among the highest growth rates nationally. Guangdong, promoting under the theme "Spend the New Year in Guangdong," deeply integrated intangible cultural heritage customs with trendy experiences. Traditional activities in the Chaoshan area, such as deity processions and Yingge dances with gongs and drums, provided tourists with an immersive folk custom experience, making "finding the New Year spirit in Guangdong" a popular phrase for the 2026 Spring Festival.
The trend of seeking authentic New Year celebrations also extended deeper and wider into county-level areas. Travelers increasingly opted to visit counties to experience the most genuine traditional "New Year atmosphere." Tongcheng Travel data shows that hotel booking popularity in county destinations like Yixian County in Huangshan, Yangshuo County in Guilin, and Pingyao County in Jinzhong普遍 increased by over 400% year-on-year. Traditional activities such as the fish lantern parades and bench dragon parades in Hongcun and Xidi villages within Yixian County significantly boosted local tourism热度. Qunar data corroborated this trend, indicating that hotel stays in non-major-tourist-attraction counties increased by more than 60% during the holiday. Counties with traditionally large populations, such as Linquan County in Fuyang, Anhui, and Hanshou County in Changde, Hunan, even saw hotel stays double.
The massive flow of people returning home for the New Year not only boosted popularity for local scenic spots but also brought unexpected visitor surges to many previously lesser-known small cities. The folk culture热潮 was supported by new technological elements. During the 2026 Spring Festival, "celebrating the New Year with AI" became a new trend among young people. Fliggy data indicated that AI-related orders during the holiday increased by over 800% compared to the pre-holiday period, with simple and affordable AI-assisted ticket booking being the most popular. Data from Tongcheng Travel's travel AI agent, DeepTrip, showed that inquiries about local New Year customs significantly outnumbered those about hotel stays and other travel topics, with the majority of questioners being under 30 years old. For young people, AI served not only as a travel planning "assistant" but also as an essential "customs butler," helping them quickly understand local customs and accurately seek out unique New Year activities.
Furthermore, the four sub-venues for the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, located in Harbin, Yiwu, Hefei, and Yibin, directly fueled a trend of "traveling inspired by the Gala." Meituan Travel data showed that cultural and tourism bookings in Yibin during the holiday increased by 56% year-on-year, while Yiwu became the top county destination for tourism热度, with searches for its "Ximen Old Street," which recreated the Gala's aesthetic scenes, surging over fivefold.
While the traditional tide of "returning home for the New Year" remained strong, "reverse New Year visits" gained prominence during the 2026 Spring Festival in a more dazzling way. An increasing number of young people chose to have their parents join them for reunion in the cities where they work and live. The popularity of "reverse New Year visits" not only altered the direction of population movement during the holiday but also reshaped festive consumption patterns. Qunar found that among travelers flying *to* first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen during the 2026 Spring Festival period, 18% were aged 50 and above, with travelers aged 60 and older increasing by over 10% year-on-year.
Reverse family reunions represent not just an economic calculation but also a reflection of changing lifestyles. Young people are shifting focus from solely revolving around the dining table to taking their parents on city walks, for coffee, or to check in at theme parks, allowing the elders who have worked hard all year to experience their children's daily lives. Qunar data indicated that hotel stays by individuals aged 60 and above during the 2026 Spring Festival increased by 56% year-on-year. The most popular cities for "reverse New Year visits" among older travelers included Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing. Many children opted to book high-star hotels for their parents to enjoy a service-inclusive holiday.
Parents participating in "reverse New Year visits" also enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Qunar data showed that scenic spot ticket bookings by tourists aged 60 and above during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday increased by 40% year-on-year. Theme parks and ice-snow attractions like Universal Beijing Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Harbin Ice and Snow World became new favorites among older tourists. Meituan's consumption report also highlighted that popular routes for "reverse Spring Festival travel," such as Chengdu-Beijing, Chengdu-Shanghai, Hangzhou-Guangzhou, Xi'an-Shenzhen, and Zhengzhou-Shenzhen, contributed to a strong start for cultural and tourism consumption in Shenzhen and related cities. Shenzhen's cultural and tourism bookings grew by 77% year-on-year, with Window of the World, Shenzhen Happy Valley, and Splendid China Folk Village being among the attractions receiving the highest number of visitors.
Young people further leveraged AI assistants to explore new ways of celebrating the New Year with their parents in big cities. Over half of the users utilizing AI assistants for consumption planning in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen were young people. Meituan data from February 12 to 22 showed that among users in these cities using the AI assistant "Xiao Tuan" to plan local dining and entertainment消费, over half were young users. Many inquiries included keywords like "parents," "elders," and "senior-friendly."
Regarding outbound and inbound travel, the concept of "reverse New Year visits" expanded to an international perspective. An increasing number of international friends chose to visit China to experience the "New Year atmosphere." Fliggy data indicated that inbound travel flight orders during the Spring Festival holiday increased nearly tenfold year-on-year. Qunar data similarly showed a 20% year-on-year increase in domestic flight bookings made using non-Chinese passports. Foreign tourists visited 107 cities including Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, extending their travels to places like Jinggangshan, Altay, and Tengchong for an in-depth experience of the unique charm of the Chinese New Year.
From "returning home for the New Year" to "reverse New Year visits," and from pursuing traditional "New Year flavor" to embracing new tech-infused customs, the 2026 Spring Festival holiday not only demonstrated the消费 vitality of a "mobile China" but also reflected profound shifts in Chinese family values and lifestyles.