China’s Spring Festival travel and spending hit record highs, but there’s a catch

Some 596 million domestic trips during the nine-day holiday, but Chinese consumers appeared more prudent. Read more at straitstimes.com.

BEIJING – China’s longest-ever Spring Festival holiday saw overall spending and traveller numbers hit record highs, but Chinese consumers remained prudent despite the government’s efforts to boost domestic spending.

The nine-day holiday from Feb 15 to Feb 23 saw domestic tourism spending hit 803.5 billion yuan (S$147.7 billion) – up nearly 126.5 billion yuan from 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Feb 24. The country’s Chinese New Year holiday is usually seven days, but was extended to eight days in 2024.

But analysts are sceptical that spending can be sustained after the nine-day celebrations are over, as each person spent an average of 150 yuan a day during the break, down from the daily average of 168 yuan in 2025.

Across the nine days, 596 million domestic trips were made nationwide, an increase of 95 million from 2025.

Some popular tourist destinations such as Chengdu’s Dujiangyan Scenic Area had to impose crowd-control limits even on the final day of the holiday, and others such as Sichuan province’s Jiuzhaigou National Park were reportedly fully packed the day after the holiday ended.

Noting that per-person spending slipped 0.23 per cent compared to the 2025 holiday, Moody’s Analytics economist Sarah Tan said this suggests households are still budget-conscious about travel and experiences during special occasions like the Spring Festival.