"Holiday travel surge fuels economic vibrancy in China"
As the world welcomed the New Year, global tourism experienced a festive increase, fueled by the Christmas and New Year holiday season, resulting in an extraordinary travel boom.
TroibNews 
As the world welcomed the New Year, global tourism experienced a significant boost, driven by the festive Christmas and New Year holiday period that ignited an unparalleled travel surge.
China, a highly desirable destination for international visitors, drew large crowds eager to experience its rich heritage, contemporary wonders, and breathtaking landscapes—all made more accessible by the country’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
Additionally, China's own citizens were also on the move, with outbound travel showing remarkable growth, becoming a vital component of the tourism sector and a key factor in broader economic progress.
Chinese people are on the move
The National Immigration Administration reported that during the 2025 New Year's holiday, China's border inspection agencies handled 1.803 million inbound and outbound trips, representing a 13.7 percent increase compared to the same time last year. This figure includes 869,000 trips by residents of mainland China, 749,000 by those from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and 185,000 by foreign nationals.
Though New Year’s Day is a one-day holiday, many took advantage of the opportunity to extend it into a mini-vacation by merging it with annual leave or taking extra days off. Data from Fliggy, an online travel platform, indicated that demand for high-end hotel bookings in China saw a dramatic increase around the New Year holiday, with reservations in the preceding week becoming over 40 percent higher than last year.
Popular domestic destinations included Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Nanjing, Xi’an, and Harbin. For outbound travel, favored locations consisted of Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, Australia, Vietnam, France, and Singapore.
Fliggy's analysis also pointed out that regions like Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, and Hebei gained popularity for "snow and ice tourism" during the New Year period. Ticket sales for indoor snow and ice attractions in cities like Chengdu, Wuhan, Shaoxing, and Wuxi skyrocketed, with skiing and hot springs becoming particularly favored activities. Conversely, southern destinations such as Hainan, Guangxi, and Guangdong experienced a surge in bookings for "winter escape" trips, where popular activities included surfing, night fishing, and scuba diving.
Outbound tourism continued to see strong growth from 2023. Fliggy's data revealed that by the early hours of January 1, 2025, outbound bookings had surged nearly 70 percent year on year, with international car rental bookings also experiencing an increase of over 70 percent. The most sought-after car rental destinations included the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Free-visa policy brings influx of foreign tourists
China's revised visa-free policies have also attracted numerous foreign tourists to the country for the New Year celebrations.
Data from travel company Ctrip indicated that between December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, inbound tourism orders saw a year-on-year doubling, with orders from neighboring countries like South Korea and Japan increasing by 215 percent and 145 percent, respectively.
Since July 2023, China has been proactively enhancing its visa-free regulations to create a hospitable atmosphere for international visitors. The mutual visa exemption agreement with Georgia took effect in May. By October, citizens of four additional countries, including Portugal and Greece, were permitted visa-free access. China further expanded its visa exemption policy to include nine more countries, such as Bulgaria and Japan, starting from November 30 until the end of 2025.
According to the National Immigration Administration, between January and November 2024, China welcomed 29.2 million foreign visitors, marking an impressive 86.2 percent year-on-year rise. Of these, 17.4 million took advantage of visa-free entry, reflecting a 123.3 percent increase.
The most recent adjustments to the country’s visa-free transit policy were announced on December 17, extending the allowed stay for eligible foreign travelers from 72 hours and subsequent 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days. This policy took effect immediately, allowing qualified visitors to enter China without a visa through any of the 60 open ports across 24 provincial-level regions, as long as their stay remains under 240 hours in designated areas.
In addition to travel, consumer enthusiasm during the holiday was notably high. Data from online travel platforms show that searches for "New Year’s Eve hotels" surged over 70 percent year-on-year, while hotel bookings for city outskirts climbed nearly 20 percent. Beijing emerged as the top city for New Year's Eve hotel reservations, as various countdown events and light shows attracted many tourists.
Beijing's commerce bureau reported a vibrant holiday consumption market during the festivities, with shopping malls extending their hours on New Year's Eve and hosting numerous cultural and entertainment activities that drew large crowds. Official data revealed that the city’s 60 key commercial areas saw total foot traffic of 8.059 million, reflecting a 7.8 percent increase year on year.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
China, a highly desirable destination for international visitors, drew large crowds eager to experience its rich heritage, contemporary wonders, and breathtaking landscapes—all made more accessible by the country’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
Additionally, China's own citizens were also on the move, with outbound travel showing remarkable growth, becoming a vital component of the tourism sector and a key factor in broader economic progress.
Chinese people are on the move
The National Immigration Administration reported that during the 2025 New Year's holiday, China's border inspection agencies handled 1.803 million inbound and outbound trips, representing a 13.7 percent increase compared to the same time last year. This figure includes 869,000 trips by residents of mainland China, 749,000 by those from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and 185,000 by foreign nationals.
Though New Year’s Day is a one-day holiday, many took advantage of the opportunity to extend it into a mini-vacation by merging it with annual leave or taking extra days off. Data from Fliggy, an online travel platform, indicated that demand for high-end hotel bookings in China saw a dramatic increase around the New Year holiday, with reservations in the preceding week becoming over 40 percent higher than last year.
Popular domestic destinations included Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Nanjing, Xi’an, and Harbin. For outbound travel, favored locations consisted of Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, Australia, Vietnam, France, and Singapore.
Fliggy's analysis also pointed out that regions like Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, and Hebei gained popularity for "snow and ice tourism" during the New Year period. Ticket sales for indoor snow and ice attractions in cities like Chengdu, Wuhan, Shaoxing, and Wuxi skyrocketed, with skiing and hot springs becoming particularly favored activities. Conversely, southern destinations such as Hainan, Guangxi, and Guangdong experienced a surge in bookings for "winter escape" trips, where popular activities included surfing, night fishing, and scuba diving.
Outbound tourism continued to see strong growth from 2023. Fliggy's data revealed that by the early hours of January 1, 2025, outbound bookings had surged nearly 70 percent year on year, with international car rental bookings also experiencing an increase of over 70 percent. The most sought-after car rental destinations included the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Free-visa policy brings influx of foreign tourists
China's revised visa-free policies have also attracted numerous foreign tourists to the country for the New Year celebrations.
Data from travel company Ctrip indicated that between December 31, 2024, and January 1, 2025, inbound tourism orders saw a year-on-year doubling, with orders from neighboring countries like South Korea and Japan increasing by 215 percent and 145 percent, respectively.
Since July 2023, China has been proactively enhancing its visa-free regulations to create a hospitable atmosphere for international visitors. The mutual visa exemption agreement with Georgia took effect in May. By October, citizens of four additional countries, including Portugal and Greece, were permitted visa-free access. China further expanded its visa exemption policy to include nine more countries, such as Bulgaria and Japan, starting from November 30 until the end of 2025.
According to the National Immigration Administration, between January and November 2024, China welcomed 29.2 million foreign visitors, marking an impressive 86.2 percent year-on-year rise. Of these, 17.4 million took advantage of visa-free entry, reflecting a 123.3 percent increase.
The most recent adjustments to the country’s visa-free transit policy were announced on December 17, extending the allowed stay for eligible foreign travelers from 72 hours and subsequent 144 hours to 240 hours, or 10 days. This policy took effect immediately, allowing qualified visitors to enter China without a visa through any of the 60 open ports across 24 provincial-level regions, as long as their stay remains under 240 hours in designated areas.
In addition to travel, consumer enthusiasm during the holiday was notably high. Data from online travel platforms show that searches for "New Year’s Eve hotels" surged over 70 percent year-on-year, while hotel bookings for city outskirts climbed nearly 20 percent. Beijing emerged as the top city for New Year's Eve hotel reservations, as various countdown events and light shows attracted many tourists.
Beijing's commerce bureau reported a vibrant holiday consumption market during the festivities, with shopping malls extending their hours on New Year's Eve and hosting numerous cultural and entertainment activities that drew large crowds. Official data revealed that the city’s 60 key commercial areas saw total foot traffic of 8.059 million, reflecting a 7.8 percent increase year on year.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
