As the eagerly anticipated 2026 Spring Festival holiday season spans nine days, many Chinese travelers are crafting their travel itineraries for both domestic and international destinations.
This year's extended Spring Festival holiday season will run from Feb. 15 to 23.
Although the holiday season is still weeks away, there are already bustling scenes at a travel agency in eastern Beijing's Chaoyang District, with residents seen busy consulting and signing travel agreements, and popular travel routes have already entered the rush booking stage.
"I'm thinking of going to Spain and Portugal during the Spring Festival holiday season. A price range of around 20,000 to 30,000 yuan (2,868-4,302 U.S. dollars) is quite acceptable," said a customer.
Booking data shows that this year's outbound travel market is experiencing robust growth. Overall bookings for long-distance outbound trips to destinations such as France, Switzerland, Italy, the UK, Spain, and Portugal have surged by approximately 60 percent compared to the same period last year. Short-distance outbound travel has seen an even more dramatic increase, with a year-on-year growth rate of 160 percent, as destinations like Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Maldives remain highly sought after.
Simultaneously, the extended holiday is also creating greater consumer opportunities within the domestic tourism market.
"I'm planning to go to northeast China, including Harbin, with my friends. I just saw a package that costs over 6,000 yuan (860 U.S. dollars) per person. With the extended holiday, we won't feel rushed and can take our time to explore other activities. It allows for a more relaxed travel experience," said a customer.
"Domestic tourism bookings have surged by 300 percent compared to the same period last year. It is obvious that domestic travel options, whether cultural experiences, ice and snow tourism, or warm-weather escapes, are emerging as the top choices for travelers this year," said Li Mengran, media and public relations manager of a tourism group.
Extended holiday boosts Spring Festival travel market
International cruise ships brought more than 8,000 tourists to Shanghai over the past weekend, underscoring the growing momentum of the city's tourism market.
Last Saturday, two cruise ships, the Spectrum of the Seas and Mein Schiff 6, arrived in Shanghai with nearly 6,000 tourists, setting a new single day record for daily inbound arrivals at the city's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
Two more ships, the MSC Magnifica and Adora Magic City, arrived the next day, docking alongside Mein Schiff 6. For the first time this year, the terminal received three cruise ships docked simultaneously.
Impressed by China's customs services, tourists shared their feelings after landing.
"The service is very good, very fast. Everything is very quick," said a tourist.
"We're going to Disneyland. It's a cool trip," another tourist expressed her expectations.
During the two-day period, Shanghai port handled more than 20,000 passenger entries and exits, more than half of which were made by international travelers. Over 90 percent of them are benefiting from the visa-free policies.
"[I traveled from] Chengdu to here. I'm here to Beijing and Beijing to the UK," a tourist talked about his schedule, whose destinations in China all covered in the visa-free policies.
"Very good, excellent policy, and anything that reduces the amount of time. We had a week in ten days in China already, then we're gonna come back into the city to do some shopping," another senior visitor said.
Authorities have also introduced measures to improve the visa process.
"To ensure a smooth entry, officials will get on the ships in advance to perform inspections. So, passengers can start their trips as soon as they disembark. While at the airports, we have also provided an online submission system for arrival cards. That will also save their time," said Zhu Xiaoxiang, Deputy Director of Immigration Inspection Division under Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
So far this year, Shanghai's customs and immigration agents have processed more than ten million visitors, with 305,000 international passenger trips through cruise terminals, marking a prosperous tourism market.
Over 8,000 cruise passengers touch down in Shanghai, providing major tourism boost
