2025 Spring Festival Sees Record-Breaking Travel Surge
Domestic travel in China is anticipated to reach an all-time high during the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, with an estimated 9 billion inter-regional movements—representing a 7 percent increase compared to the previous year. "Ice tourism" and "warm tourism" have gained significant popularity, attracting many travelers.
**Ice tourism: northern cities welcome tourism boom**
Cities in the northern regions, such as Harbin, Changchun, and Urumqi, have become favored destinations for ice and snow tourism. The growing interest in ice and snow sports across China has led many travelers to seek out ice sculptures, skiing, and various winter activities. A report from a Chinese travel platform highlights a 32 percent year-on-year rise in travel bookings to Harbin, located in northeast China's Heilongjiang province.
**Warm tourism: southern cities become best choices**
Conversely, due to the colder winter temperatures in the north, many travelers from those regions are opting for southern cities to bask in the warm sun and enjoyable climates. The "2025 Spring Festival Tourism Market Forecast Report" by Ctrip, an online travel service provider, indicates that travel bookings for southern cities like Kunming, Fuzhou, and Xiamen have risen by 18 percent, 30 percent, and 16 percent, respectively, compared to last year.
Furthermore, the ongoing expansion of the visa-free policy since 2024 has significantly boosted inbound tourism, emerging as a notable aspect of the 2025 Spring Festival tourism market. Ctrip's data reveals a staggering 203 percent year-on-year increase in international tourism bookings for the Spring Festival. Notably, the implementation of visa-free entry for South Korean passport holders at the end of 2024 has drawn a substantial influx of South Korean tourists, resulting in a remarkable 452 percent year-on-year increase in travel bookings from the country for the upcoming Spring Festival.
Frederick R Cook for TROIB News