China's New Year holiday sees peak travel, surge in cultural tourism and inbound tourism

As the 2026 New Year holiday comes to a close, China's transportation and tourism sectors have experienced significant growth, with a peak in return passenger flow, a surge in cultural tourism visits and a noticeable uptick in inbound visits.

Festive consumer enthusiasm and the strategic release of blockbusters created a boom for the cinema industry. This had a positive spillover on adjacent food, retail, and entertainment businesses, boosting their footfall and revenue.

Return passenger flow peak

Saturday, the final of China's three-day New Year's holiday, saw a peak in railway return trips, data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd shows.

The country's railways are expected to handle 17.45 million passenger trips on Saturday and plan to add 1,343 passenger trains to meet travel demand.

Popular departure cities on the day include Guangzhou, Beijing and Chengdu, while major destination cities include Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

More than 12 million passenger trips were handled by railways nationwide on Friday.

Cultural tourism takes off

Holidaymakers sought out the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, as an attraction this season for its millennia-old heritage, aided by ticket discounts and other measures for a more immersive experience.

"According to reservation data, the number of visitors to the Mogao Caves during this year's New Year holiday has increased by about 30 percent," said Lei Zhengguang, head of cultural promotion at the Dunhuang Academy. 

He added that there has been a noticeable increase in visitors from other provinces and international tourists.

In Beijing, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism launched 10 themed ice and snow culture tourism routes, tapping into its winter sports resources.

"During the New Year, we also opened night sessions, extending operating hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. We also increased the number of guides to ensure the safety and orderliness of visitors. National Stadium's Joyful Ice and Snow Season were in full swing," said Huang Chen, general manager of Beijing Bird's Nest Cultural Creative Exchange Co., Ltd.

Surge in inbound tourism

Inbound tourism also saw a substantial rise. At the Gongbei Border, the key hub connecting Zhuhai and the Macao Special Administrative Region, passenger flows peaked for two consecutive days.

The Gongbei Border Inspection Station reported over 430,000 daily crossings on January 1, 2026, and more than 440,000 on January 2 – a six-year single-day record, representing a 34.8-percent gain compared to the same period last year.

Similarly, Hekou Port, the largest land port along the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border, welcomed a surge of Vietnamese tourists. On January 1 alone, 263 Vietnamese tour groups totaling 4,377 people crossed into China, registering year-on-year increases of 415 percent and 535 percent respectively.

The influx of inbound tourists has stimulated the local economy in Hekou. Restaurants, shopping malls, and scenic spots in the urban area saw a surge in popularity, with Vietnamese tourists flocking to try local snacks like hot spring rolls, savory pastries, and sweet milk tea.

'Cinema+' mode expands consumer boundaries

Movie-going emerged as a top choice for holiday cultural and spiritual life. By midnight on January 3, 2026, the total box office for the New Year's movie season had surpassed 620 million yuan (about $89 million).

This trend has spawned a consumption chain, from ticket sales to dining and retail, stimulating holiday spending.

Arcades, milk tea shops, and snack restaurants adjacent to cinemas all experienced a surge in customer flow during the holiday, creating a leisure consumption hub centered around cinema, food, and entertainment.

"Now, with a movie ticket, you can enjoy discounts at some of our restaurants. This year's New Year's box office is more family-oriented, so family consumption and travel have been particularly prominent this year," Li Xiaotong, promotion manager of Longfor Tianjin MeiJiang Tianjie Mall, said. 

Experts say that the successful box office of the New Year's holiday movie season not only reflects the enthusiasm of the audience but, more importantly, the emotional and experiential consumption derived from the movie market will continuously provide new momentum for economic development.

Sun Yanbin, a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, said: "The booming film market is also a barometer of the social economy. The popularity of movie consumption shows that Chinese residents have a deeper demand for cultural consumption and high-quality development-oriented consumption."