Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has seen a surge in international passenger traffic as the Spring Festival holiday approaches, with foreign arrivals more than doubling year on year, according to local immigration authorities.
The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, falls on Feb. 17 this year. The official holiday runs for nine days from Feb. 15 to 23, while the broader Spring Festival travel rush lasts from Feb. 2 to March 13.
During the ongoing travel rush, the Chongqing port has processed over 112,000 inbound and outbound passengers and more than 800 flights, marking a nearly 50 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
Foreign nationals accounted for more than 20,000 entries and exits, more than doubled.
Projections indicate that during the peak holiday period from Feb. 15 to 23, the airport is expected to handle approximately 80,000 inbound and outbound passengers, averaging over 8,500 daily, with a single-day peak forecast to exceed 10,000 movements.
International travelers drawn to Chongqing cited the city's vibrant atmosphere and festive charm as key attractions.
"I came to China to celebrate the New Year's holiday and then I will stay here to study. I hope I will have a good time here," said Linda Cirri, an international student from Italy.
"What we love about Chongqing is the vibrant vibe of the city, the lights everywhere, and it's called the Cyber Punk City. And there are huge buildings everywhere. So we love it. And it's really beautiful," said Irem Bayer, a visitor form France.
"I celebrated Chinese New Year in China two years ago and found the experience to be very positive. The streets were abundant with goods, and the atmosphere was notably more vibrant, lively, and joyful," said Andrea Colosio, a visitor from Italy.
The surge reflects growing international interest in experiencing China's most important traditional festival firsthand, as well as Chongqing's rising appeal as a global tourist destination.
China's Chongqing embraces surge in int'l arrivals for Spring Festival holiday
China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
