SINGAPORE, 6 February 2025: As China wrapped up its eight-day Spring Festival holiday, 28 January to 4 February, celebrating the start of the Year of the Snake, Fliggy, an online travel platform wholly owned by Alibaba Group, released its 2025 Spring Festival Travel Insights.
China’s inbound travel
Cultural heritage tourism on the rise: With UNESCO’s inaugural recognition of the 2025 Spring Festival as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, interest in cultural tourism surged during the holiday season.
Search volume for experiences featuring intangible heritage, such as visits to heritage sites and culture immersion activities, increased by 40% compared to last year.
Additionally, purchases for folk performances have increased 36% year over year, and over half of all reservations are made for trips with family and friends.
Family-oriented experiences: Families opted for outings that celebrate cultural heritage. Popular activities include lantern festivals, temple fairs, traditional attire (Hanfu), rice cake making, and fireworks. Notably, trips to lantern festivals and folk performances were among the top choices.
Extended travel due to favourable policies: Encouraged by generous leave policies (Two days off for an 11-day holiday), travellers opted for longer trips. As a result, per capita spending rose by nearly 10% compared to last year, and the average length of stay increased by 5%.
Popular destinations: Top travel spots include Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Xi’an, Nanjing, and Wuhan. Cities like Jingdezhen, Zhaoqing, Ili, Altay, Kaifeng, Huangshan, Ulanqab, Meizhou, Ganzhou, and Zunyi.
Diverse travel format: The exemption of highway tolls for small passenger vehicles during the holiday has boosted self-driving trips, chartered tours, and customised tours. Rental car services and bespoke travel bookings both saw double-digit growth compared to last year, with popular self-driving destinations including Sanya, Haikou, Chengdu, Kunming, and Dali. Meanwhile, Xishuangbanna, Lijiang, Beijing, Harbin, and Pu’er are increasingly favoured for customised tours.
Outbound travel
Strong growth in international travel: This year, international cruises, car rentals, and one-day tours abroad have seen significant growth, with a remarkable 229% increase in cruise bookings compared to last year.
Top outbound destinations: Hong Kong (SAR), Macau (SAR), East Asia, and Southeast Asia remained favourites. Other top 10 destinations include the United States, Australia, and France. Countries like Hungary, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Iceland, and Austria experienced rapid growth, with order volumes doubling compared to last year.
