The National Immigration Administration estimated that the average daily number of inbound and outbound passengers during this year’s Spring Festival holiday will exceed 2.05 million, a 14.1 percent year-on-year increase, totaling over 18 million trips during the nine-day holiday.
Since the start of the longest-ever Spring Festival holiday, mainland tourists have been spotted around the world in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Thailand, South Korea, Iceland, Australia, and the Netherlands.
Some users on the social media platform Xiaohongshu reported that popular spots such as the Twelve Apostles in Melbourne, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, and even a mountaintop in Tromsø, Norway, have been dominated by mainland travelers.
According to data from Flight Manager DAST, as of February 17, a total of 31,719 international flights were operated in the first 16 days of the Spring Festival travel rush, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.7 percent. Flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan reached 6,463, up 9.9 percent year on year.
Figures from Tongcheng Travel reveal that the top 10 most popular outbound travel destinations during the holiday included Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City, Macau and Phuket.
Popular activities included visiting vibrant districts such as Bangkok’s Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur’s Thean Hou Temple, and Singapore’s Chinatown.
In terms of travel patterns, four to five-day trips accounted for over 70 percent, with many travelers opting to fly abroad on the second day of the Lunar New Year and return on the sixth day, combining traditional customs with overseas holidays.
