CHINA’S Year of the Horse Spring Festival holiday concluded on Monday and unleashed a surge in tourism and consumer spending, with multiple key indicators reaching historic highs.
Beyond the numbers, this year’s holiday has revealed something deeper: a transformation in how Chinese consumers spend and what that spending signals for the broader economy.
From record passenger flows to evolving travel behaviors and robust retail activity, the Spring Festival served not merely as a seasonal reunion, but as a barometer of China’s consumption resilience and structural upgrading.
Data from the Ministry of Transport showed that in the first 20 days of the Spring Festival travel rush, cross-regional trips nationwide totaled 5.08 billion, averaging 250 million per day. Daily trips are expected to reach 376.63 million toward the end of the holiday, marking this year’s peak travel volume.
Shifting spending patterns
The record-long break has prompted distinctive consumption behaviors.
Long-haul travel surged as extended leave allowed more cross-regional trips and deeper experiences. Data from China travel agency Mafengwo showed that journeys lasting more than five days accounted for 59.6 percent of total bookings, while family travelers made up 68 percent of the market. Three-generation trips represented 34 percent of bookings, underscoring the growing dominance of family-centered decision-making.
Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times that the extended holiday was a key driver behind the rise in long-distance travel, as longer leave enabled reunion-oriented and quality-driven consumption.
Cultural experience also moved to the forefront. Travel increasingly shifted from “photo op” visits to immersive heritage experiences. Hotel bookings in Shantou rose more than 80 percent year on year, while smaller cities such as Wuyishan and Yueyang recorded sharp increases in visitor arrivals, according to Chinese travel agency Tongcheng.
Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times that the rise of heritage tourism reflects deeper cultural content and immersive participation across age groups. He noted that many heritage-rich experiences are concentrated in smaller cities, helping redirect tourist flows toward third- and fourth-tier destinations and stimulating local economies.
A structural upgrade
Beyond changing behaviors, the holiday highlighted a subtle yet structural shift in consumer upgrading, experts said.
Retail activity remained robust, supported by policy measures. The first batch of 62.5 billion yuan in consumer goods trade-in funds has been disbursed, while local governments allocated 2.05 billion yuan in vouchers and subsidies during the holiday, Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping said.
Ministry of Commerce data showed that average daily sales at key retail and catering enterprises rose 8.6 percent year on year in the first four days of the break.
Li said the coordinated effect of policy support and festival demand amplified the multiplier effect of holiday consumption. “Holiday spending underscores the growing role of consumption as a stabilizer and key growth engine of China’s economy,” he said.
Spending also reflected a shift toward quality and asset-conscious consumption. Despite elevated gold prices, zodiac-themed jewelry and lightweight investment products such as 1-gram “gold beans” remained popular, particularly among younger consumers balancing celebration with wealth preservation.
Zhang said small-denomination gold jewelry with festive themes has become popular as it offers both commemorative significance and value preservation. “Consumers are increasingly seeking a balance between celebration and financial security,” he said.
Li said the robust holiday spending underscores the growing role of consumption as a stabilizer and key growth engine of China’s economy. The effect of policy support and the festival atmosphere amplified the multiplier effect of holiday demand, strengthening domestic economic recovery.
