China sees surge in Int'l arrival during Spring Festival as global travelers embrace cultural festivities
China's Spring Festival, the country's most cherished holiday for family reunions, is increasingly becoming a magnet for international visitors, with international flight bookings rising sharply.
As a cultural powerhouse in its own right, the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, with its rich traditions and immersive experiences, is cementing China's status as a must-visit global destination.
China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) forecasts that the average daily number of inbound and outbound travelers nationwide will surpass 2.05 million during the Spring Festival holiday, up 14.1 percent year on year.
Driven by the country's visa-free policy and consumption-incentive measures, both inbound and outbound tourism is expected to grow during the nine-day holiday period beginning Sunday, the NIA said.
At the Beijing International Airport, the arriving visitors shared their excitement about discovering China's diverse landscapes and hospitality.
"I'm here for almost 6 months, so I will go to almost every province if possible. Hopefully I [can go] to Xi'an, of course, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Shanghai, maybe other places as well," said a tourist from Germany.
"I go to Hainan because everybody that travels in China should be there at least once, right? And also the seafood is very famous," said a tourist from South America.
Data from Fliggy, a leading online travel platform shows that over the past two weeks, flight bookings by international travelers for the Spring Festival period have quadrupled compared to last year. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Chengdu top the list of the most popular first-entry cities.
"I think it's pretty cool. It's totally different from like Europe or anything else I've ever seen. I haven't seen enough, to be honest, but I do love the food, I do love the culture. I think you guys are very united and there's a big community in China for sure. I definitely have to travel back and like get to know it better and see other cities, which I'm very excited about," said a tourist from Switzerland fresh from a trip in Beijing.
