China sees record-high tourist numbers, spending during Spring Festival holiday

China

China sees record-high tourist numbers, spending during Spring Festival holiday

2026-02-25 15:07 Last Updated At：19:27

China's tourism sector showed strong momentum during the Spring Festival holiday, with both visitor numbers and tourism spending hitting record highs.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday reported that during the nine-day holiday, which began on Feb 15 and came to an end on Monday, China recorded 596 million domestic trips, an increase of 95 million compared to the eight-day Spring Festival holiday in 2025.

Domestic tourism spending neared 803.5 billion yuan (about 116.7 billion U.S. dollars), which was up 126.5 billion yuan from last year.

The statistics indicated that as ice-and-snow tourism and winter sun getaways continued to attract strong interest, tourists traveled farther distances and stayed for longer trips this holiday, according to the ministry. And among international tourists, the popularity of seeking Spring Festival celebrations in China is on the rise, the ministry said.

"During the Spring Festival holiday, tourists not only experienced our enduring cultural heritage but also witnessed a vibrant future supported by science and technology. We enjoyed a prosperous, orderly, safe, and high-quality holiday," said Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy.

From intangible cultural heritage celebrations to immersive experiences featuring modern and traditional Chinese styles, cultural activities across the nation drew large crowds during the holiday.

In Changde City, Hunan Province, visitors engaged in various intangible cultural heritage experiences, tasting the grinding tea, known as "Lei Cha" in Chinese, enjoying local string music, trying their hand at embroidery, and participating in ancient Cuju matches, the earliest known recorded game of football, to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere.

In the ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi Province, daily performances including Shehuo (community fire) parades, dragon and lion dances, attracted over 600,000 visits during the holiday period.

Leveraging sci-tech innovation, a new wave of integrated culture and tourism scenarios offered visitors fresh ways to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

In Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, the performance "In Search of Lu You [a famous poet in China's Song Dynasty (960-1279)]" combined multiple experiences, including garden tours, museum visits, and water stage shows, creating an interactive cultural tourism landscape that visitors could both see and feel.

In the town of Nishan, Qufu City, in Shandong Province, drone displays and fireworks shows integrated the zodiac culture of the Year of the Horse with dazzling light effects, presenting a visually stunning spectacle.

"It was not only visually stunning but also showcased traditional culture in a different form. I experienced a unique flavor of the Chinese New Year," said Li Fuhan, a tourist.

Inbound tourism also remained exceptionally strong this Spring Festival, with a growing number of international visitors choosing to spend the holiday in China to experience the charm of its culture.

During the first Spring Festival holiday since the Hainan Free Trade Port officially began island-wide special customs operations, the island province received a total of 12.32 million visits, generating tourism revenue of nearly 18.37 billion yuan (about 2.67 billion U.S. dollars). Compared to the previous Spring Festival holiday, this represents a year-on-year increase of 28.9 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively.

Civilians recall horrible air strike in southern Lebanon

People in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre recalled the horrible scenes of an air strike on Thursday night, saying that the civilians suffer the most in the war.

After the Lebanese and Israeli governments announced a conditional ceasefire, the Israeli military carried out rounds of airstrikes in southern Lebanon, as unresolved disagreements between Israel and Hezbollah continued to stall ceasefire efforts.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported on Friday that Israeli airstrikes hit several locations in southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people and wounding 15 others.

Ahmad al-Hsein, who runs a restaurant in Tyre, was on the scene when the strike came. He said all the civilian facilities in the area were severely damaged.

"We were here during the air strike, carrying out our humanitarian work, which is a small thing compared with what's happening. We were providing food to the people here, and during the air strike we were here in the restaurant. A civilian facility, a bank, was targeted, and the restaurant, which is also a civilian facility, was affected. There's nothing else. The entire impact was on the area around Jabal Amel Hospital. We don't know what the target was, there’s nothing there. All the wounded are civilians, and the casualties are civilian," he said.

Mahmoud Srour, a displaced from Teir Harfa, helped clear up the debris on the street following the strike.

"The air strike took place at around 22:30. As you can see, the scale of the destruction is immense. They targeted Bank Audi; there's nothing left here, they targeted a bank. The damage is very extensive. This is a civilian area; there are shops and a restaurant, and the bank is located here. Thank God, we were in the shop when the air strike happened, and chaos ensued. Thank God we were not hurt. There were no fatalities here, but there are wounded," he said.