Longest Spring Festival holiday boosts travel, consumption in China

China's 2026 Spring Festival holiday – a record-long nine days – witnessed massive population movement alongside strong consumption, tourism, box office and retail sectors.

According to data from the China State Railway Group, the railways handled about 121 million passenger trips during the holiday (February 15 to 23), with a daily average of 13.41 million trips, up 11.5 percent from last year. Notably, a record 18.73 million passenger trips were recorded on February 23, setting a new single-day high for the period.

To manage the high volumes of passenger flow combining family visits, migrant workers' return and tourism, railways operated an average of 12,380 passenger trains daily. Service enhancements included refined ticket sale strategies, such as fare discounts and special trains for migrant workers.

For freight, national railways handled 85.38 million tonnes of cargo during the holiday. Key international logistics channels, including the China-Europe Railway Express and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, maintained stable operations, ensuring the transport of essential supplies and the smooth flow of the international supply chain.

Holiday consumption

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), during the first four days of the holiday, the average daily sales of key retail and catering enterprises nationwide increased by 8.6 percent compared to the same period last year, as promotion campaigns continued to stimulate the market.

The policy effect of trade-in programs for consumer goods was significant. MOFCOM data shows that as of February 19, national trade-in programs for consumer goods had benefited 28.88 million person-times, driving sales of 198.02 billion yuan (about $27.50 billion). Specifically, the automobile trade-in program covered 612,000 vehicles, generating new car sales of 100.53 billion yuan (about $13.96 billion), with green and smart products being particularly popular.

Service consumption was also energetic. Data from the China Film Administration, China's box office revenue during the holiday totaled 5.75 billion yuan ($828.65 million), with total admissions hitting 120 million.

"Pegasus 3," the third installment in director Han Han's racing-comedy franchise starring Shen Teng, emerged as the highest-grossing film of the holiday box office season.

The tourism market, especially inbound travel, showed a rapid recovery. Data from major travel platforms shows that flight bookings to China around the Chinese New Year period surged by over 400 percent year on year compared to the last Spring Festival period, highlighting China appeal to international visitors.

(With input from agencies)