Spring Festival in China for 2025 Records Unprecedented Levels of Travel and Consumption
China's 2025 Spring Festival has set new records in both travel and consumption, highlighting the resurgence of festive activities. The surge in travel and spending reflects a significant rebound in public sentiment and economic activity during the holiday season. With millions of people taking to the roads and airways to celebrate the occasion, the event marks a notable milestone in the country's recovery.
TroibNews 
China's 2025 Spring Festival holiday achieved several remarkable milestones in travel, leisure, dining, and consumption, coinciding with its status as the first celebration since the Spring Festival was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list late last year.
The extended eight-day holiday saw extensive movement of people who traveled to enjoy the festivities, reunite with friends and family, or simply maximize their time off. According to China's Ministry of Transport, from January 28 to February 4, there was a cross-regional flow of over 2.3 billion individuals, with the holiday's last day peaking in return passenger traffic. On Monday, the China State Railway Group noted that railways across the country transported 16.45 million passengers, marking the highest single-day passenger traffic in the history of the Spring Festival.
The surge wasn't limited to domestic tourism; 14.36 million cross-border trips were recorded, reflecting a 6.3 percent increase compared to the previous year. Among these, 958,000 were undertaken by foreign travellers during the holiday, a rise of 22.9 percent from last year, attributed to relaxed visa rules and enhanced connectivity, as noted by the National Immigration Administration.
To accommodate the heightened demand, additional capacities were deployed. On the last day of the holiday, railway authorities in the Yangtze River Delta region arranged for up to 392 extra direct passenger trains and 195 in-line trains, along with the reconnection of up to 113 motor train units.
For last-mile connectivity, Beijing extended its subway operating hours to facilitate late-night and early-morning arrivals, while bus schedules were dynamically adjusted for frequency and intervals, according to the Ministry of Transport. The ministry also mentioned that taxis and ride-hailing services improved their nighttime operations and scheduling.
Leisure activities thrived as well. China's film industry set new records during the festival, with box office earnings reaching an unprecedented 9.51 billion yuan and 187 million moviegoers attending, as reported by the China National Film Administration. High-profile film releases provided ample viewing options, with "Ne Zha 2" topping the box office with collections of a staggering 4.94 billion yuan. Other films like "Detective Chinatown 1900," "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," "Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants," "Boonie Bears: Future Reborn," and "Operation Hadal" followed, according to film data platform Maoyan.
Leisure was also evident in the diversity of holiday travel destinations. During this prime season for snow and ice tourism, Altay Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region attracted 191,000 visitors in the first four days of the holiday, as reported by Xinhua. Meanwhile, Yangshuo County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region welcomed 410,600 tourists in just the first three days, generating 589 million yuan in tourism revenue.
Moreover, China's science and technology museums recorded over 3 million visitors during the holiday, according to data from the Beijing-based China Science and Technology Museum.
Food and shopping remained integral to the Spring Festival and the Chinese New Year, with significant activity observed in online channels and e-commerce. According to the People's Bank of China, the first seven days of the holiday saw China UnionPay and NetsUnion Clearing Corporation process 22.08 billion transactions amounting to 8.52 trillion yuan, marking increases of 25.7 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively. The food ordering and e-commerce platform Meituan, which had previously reported a 305-percent uptick in online reservations for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners, noted that total customer flow in national business districts increased by 17 percent compared to last year, alongside an 18.7 percent rise in in-store dining.
The impressive outcomes of the Spring Festival underscore the effectiveness of the measures implemented by the government, various authorities, service providers, and stakeholders, providing consumers with a broad array of options to celebrate, thus laying the groundwork for a robust, consumption-driven start to the country's economy this year.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
The extended eight-day holiday saw extensive movement of people who traveled to enjoy the festivities, reunite with friends and family, or simply maximize their time off. According to China's Ministry of Transport, from January 28 to February 4, there was a cross-regional flow of over 2.3 billion individuals, with the holiday's last day peaking in return passenger traffic. On Monday, the China State Railway Group noted that railways across the country transported 16.45 million passengers, marking the highest single-day passenger traffic in the history of the Spring Festival.
The surge wasn't limited to domestic tourism; 14.36 million cross-border trips were recorded, reflecting a 6.3 percent increase compared to the previous year. Among these, 958,000 were undertaken by foreign travellers during the holiday, a rise of 22.9 percent from last year, attributed to relaxed visa rules and enhanced connectivity, as noted by the National Immigration Administration.
To accommodate the heightened demand, additional capacities were deployed. On the last day of the holiday, railway authorities in the Yangtze River Delta region arranged for up to 392 extra direct passenger trains and 195 in-line trains, along with the reconnection of up to 113 motor train units.
For last-mile connectivity, Beijing extended its subway operating hours to facilitate late-night and early-morning arrivals, while bus schedules were dynamically adjusted for frequency and intervals, according to the Ministry of Transport. The ministry also mentioned that taxis and ride-hailing services improved their nighttime operations and scheduling.
Leisure activities thrived as well. China's film industry set new records during the festival, with box office earnings reaching an unprecedented 9.51 billion yuan and 187 million moviegoers attending, as reported by the China National Film Administration. High-profile film releases provided ample viewing options, with "Ne Zha 2" topping the box office with collections of a staggering 4.94 billion yuan. Other films like "Detective Chinatown 1900," "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," "Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants," "Boonie Bears: Future Reborn," and "Operation Hadal" followed, according to film data platform Maoyan.
Leisure was also evident in the diversity of holiday travel destinations. During this prime season for snow and ice tourism, Altay Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region attracted 191,000 visitors in the first four days of the holiday, as reported by Xinhua. Meanwhile, Yangshuo County in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region welcomed 410,600 tourists in just the first three days, generating 589 million yuan in tourism revenue.
Moreover, China's science and technology museums recorded over 3 million visitors during the holiday, according to data from the Beijing-based China Science and Technology Museum.
Food and shopping remained integral to the Spring Festival and the Chinese New Year, with significant activity observed in online channels and e-commerce. According to the People's Bank of China, the first seven days of the holiday saw China UnionPay and NetsUnion Clearing Corporation process 22.08 billion transactions amounting to 8.52 trillion yuan, marking increases of 25.7 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively. The food ordering and e-commerce platform Meituan, which had previously reported a 305-percent uptick in online reservations for Chinese New Year's Eve dinners, noted that total customer flow in national business districts increased by 17 percent compared to last year, alongside an 18.7 percent rise in in-store dining.
The impressive outcomes of the Spring Festival underscore the effectiveness of the measures implemented by the government, various authorities, service providers, and stakeholders, providing consumers with a broad array of options to celebrate, thus laying the groundwork for a robust, consumption-driven start to the country's economy this year.
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
