A surge in winter tourism during the three-day New Year's Day holiday has sent travel demand soaring in China, with ice-snow-themed destinations drawing record crowds.
Data from major travel platforms show a sharp increase in bookings for railways and flights to northern China, driven largely by the popularity of winter attractions.
In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, ticket sales for the famed Snow Town scenic area in Mudanjiang City and for the Yabuli Ski Resort in the provincial capital Harbin surged 2.7-fold and twofold, respectively, year on year.
Searches related to "Harbin" spiked more than five fold on a yearly basis, according to travel data.
Harbin's iconic Ice and Snow World, a winter wonderland, emerged as the holiday's top attraction.
"The hottest destination on the New Year's Eve was undoubtedly Harbin's Ice and Snow World. According to data from Qunar Travel, the Ice and Snow World topped the national charts as soon as tickets went on sale, with its popularity surging more than four fold compared with the same period last year," said Shi Ke, a researcher at the Qunar Big Data Research Institute.
The travel rush has put heavy strain on the country's transportation system. Trains from Beijing to major northeastern cities, including Harbin, Shenyang, and Changchun, have only limited seats remaining for the holiday period, and return tickets on Jan. 3, the last day of the holiday, from these cities back to Beijing are nearly sold out.
In response, railway authorities are adding multiple dedicated ice-snow tourism trains, including both high-speed and conventional services.
Air travel is also experiencing robust growth. According to Umetrip, a leading flight data provider, destinations offering high-quality ski resorts and unique winter experiences are seeing the strongest demand.
The Altay Prefecture, a prestigious ski destination in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Ulanqab City in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region ranked among the fastest-growing destinations in terms of New Year's Day holiday flight bookings.
"Notably, during the 2026 New Year's Day holiday, travelers from southern China emerged as a key driver behind the growth of ice and snow tourism. Southern cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen have become among the primary sources of visitors to Altay," said Zhao Nan, general manager of the industry development department at Umetrip.
Winter tourism booms during New Year's Day holiday
Winter tourism booms during New Year's Day holiday
