The longest Spring Festival: Young people celebrate the festival overseas.
Image source / pexels
The outbound tourism during the Spring Festival is booming. Which destinations are the most popular?
Author | Li Mengran
Editor | Wei Jia
During this Spring Festival, outbound tourism has completely caught fire.
According to the prediction of the National Immigration Administration, during the Spring Festival holiday in 2026 (from February 15th to 23rd), the average daily number of inbound and outbound passengers at national ports will exceed 2.05 million, a 14.1% increase compared with the Spring Festival holiday in 2025. On OTA platforms, as of January 12th, the pre - order volume of customized outbound tours on Ctrip increased by 18% year - on - year. On Tongcheng Travel, the booking of products related to outbound tourism during the Spring Festival has also entered the peak period. The search volume and booking popularity of products such as individual tourist visas, air tickets, hotels, and group tours departing around the Spring Festival have comprehensively exceeded those of the Spring Festival in 2025.
Behind the data are more specific people.
Recently, we talked to several people who are planning to travel abroad for the Spring Festival. Among them, there are "veterans" who have spent the Spring Festival abroad for ten consecutive years, "new - style children" who are taking their parents on a long - distance trip for the first time, and "laid - back people" who will fly as long as the air tickets are suitable. Their reasons vary, but they all point to the same conclusion:
The concept of "celebrating the Spring Festival" is being rewritten by young people.
Where to go, with whom, and how to celebrate, the answers that were once determined by customs are becoming more open. Reunion doesn't necessarily only happen at the dining table in one's hometown, and the Spring Festival atmosphere doesn't only exist in familiar streets and alleys. It may also be packed in a suitcase and taken around the world.
Reject the "Spring Festival burnout" and set yourself free on an outbound trip
"Why does the Spring Festival atmosphere seem to be fading away?"
On social platforms, the highly - voted answer to this question is both poignant and true: "When we were kids, the Spring Festival atmosphere was given by our parents; now it's our turn to create it, but we just can't."
When the post - 80s and post - 90s generations become the main force in the family, they find that the Spring Festival has changed from a ceremony arranged by the elders to a whole set of tasks that they have to take on themselves, such as grabbing tickets, traveling, visiting relatives, calculating red envelopes, and attending various dinners. The few - day holiday is divided into dense social scenarios, and there isn't much time truly belonging to oneself. Some young people even joke that this is like "working overtime during the Spring Festival".
Qingqing's hometown is in the countryside. For her, visiting relatives during the Spring Festival is a complex social project: which relatives to visit, which ones not to visit, what gifts to bring, and what to say. Having worked away from home for a long time, she has become rusty in these aspects. She said, "The interpersonal relationships in my hometown are even more difficult to handle than KPIs."
This year, she and her husband have booked a Spring Festival trip to Bali. This isn't her first time spending the Spring Festival abroad, nor is it a spur - of - the - moment decision. For her, spending the festival in a different environment can make the holiday return to a relaxed state, rather than being pushed forward by the set process.
There are many young people like Qingqing. On the one hand, it's for relaxation, like an "emotional self - rescue". On the other hand, this year's extra - long holiday provides the opportunity.
This year's Spring Festival holiday lasts for 9 days. Coupled with make - up days and annual leave, one can piece together more than 15 days of "extra - long vacation", which is the basis for long - haul outbound tourism. According to Tongcheng Travel data, the "take 5 days off and get 15 days off" long - term leave - piecing method has driven up the popularity of long - haul outbound tourism; the booking of long - haul outbound tourism products with a duration of 9 - 12 days during the Spring Festival holiday has increased significantly, and the proportion of tourists in this duration range has increased to about 25%.
Ctrip data also shows that from February 24th to 28th, the pre - order proportion of "taking leave for travel" among the post - 80s is as high as 48%. And judging from the changes in orders during the official holiday and the pieced - together holidays, a larger proportion of the post - 90s choose to enjoy a more cost - effective and less crowded journey during the pieced - together holidays.
Ke Ke, who works in an Internet company, has long been eyeing this opportunity. Her company has a 9 - day holiday this Spring Festival, plus her annual leave, which is enough for a in - depth tour of London. She saw cheap air tickets half a year ago and immediately placed an order. "Currently, I plan to spend 7 days in London, 2 days in Edinburgh, and 3 days in Scotland. It's enough time to take it slow," she said.
Image source / Ke Ke's itinerary
For her, this is a long - distance trip after rational planning. "In previous Spring Festivals, I've also visited many popular domestic cities, including Sanya and Beihai. But this year, I want to find a place with relatively fewer people and take my parents to see different scenery."
In addition to having enough time, the price level is also a reason often mentioned by the interviewees. Abroad, although the prices in tourist areas are not low, they don't suddenly skyrocket because of the Spring Festival.
Xiao Xiao, who is taking her child to Lombok Island in Indonesia for the Spring Festival this year, explained, "Abroad, you don't know how much that bottle of water should originally cost, so you won't feel ripped off." She has been to Japan, the United States, Central Europe, and Southeast Asia and found a pattern: The prices in tourist areas are always high, but they don't change because of the Spring Festival. The 'certainty' of prices actually makes people feel more at ease.
As the cost of celebrating the Spring Festival at home keeps rising, outbound tourism has become an alternative. Young people don't reject the Spring Festival atmosphere; they just don't cling to replicating the memories of the past. Instead, they choose to take their families to the snowy nights in London or the beaches on the islands.
The form of reunion is changing, but the expectation for the meaning of the festival has not disappeared.
Don't focus on the absolute cost, but on the overall "sense of gain"
So, where do people go for the booming Spring Festival outbound tourism? And who are the travelers?
Let's first look at some data: According to Tongcheng Travel data, among the top 10 popular destinations for international air ticket bookings during the Spring Festival in 2026, Southeast Asian regions account for half of the list. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bali are all on the list. Destinations such as Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia are also among the mainstream choices because of their close distance, low travel cost, friendly visa policies, and suitable climate.
Behind the data, what really drives this trend is an account that is being recalculated.
This account is called the Spring Festival cost - effectiveness.
How much does an outbound Spring Festival trip actually cost?
Qingqing's trip to Bali is a low - budget version. She said that she booked the air tickets to Bali at the end of May. For a 6 - day, 7 - night trip for two people, the round - trip air tickets cost 6,500 yuan, and the accommodation cost less than 6,500 yuan. The rest of the itinerary includes hiking, ATV riding, water sports, or simply relaxing. The overall budget can be controlled within more than 10,000 yuan.
Many people think that traveling abroad is expensive, but Qingqing doesn't think so. "Unless you go to countries with a high exchange rate, for destinations like Southeast Asia, as long as you book half a year in advance, the cost isn't that outrageous. Traveling in China during the Spring Festival isn't cheap either."
Xiao Xiao, who is going to Lombok Island, also holds a similar view. She has a budget of about 30,000 yuan for this Spring Festival trip with her child. Her habit is to first determine the annual travel budget and then choose a matching destination. She explained, "The budget is fixed, and the destination is chosen accordingly. It's okay for one person to go to Europe, but if it's two people or with a child, then choose a closer place."
Compared with Qingqing's trip to Bali and Xiao Xiao's trip to Lombok Island, Ke Ke's trip to London is a high - budget, long - haul version. For a family of three, a 13 - day trip is expected to cost a total of 180,000 to 200,000 yuan.
Image source / pexels
Ke Ke said that the round - trip air tickets per person cost 8,000 yuan, and staying in an Airbnb villa in the center of London for 6 nights costs about 40,000 yuan. There are also the accommodation in Edinburgh and a three - day tour in the Highlands later. The transportation and accommodation costs are already close to 100,000 yuan. This doesn't include the expenses for tickets, meals, local transportation, and souvenirs.
The costs of these three trips vary greatly: more than 10,000 yuan, 30,000 yuan, and 200,000 yuan.
If we only look at the explicit expenses, some people may say, "Isn't it just a matter of spending more or less?" But more people are comparing not the absolute cost, but the overall "sense of gain".
As mentioned above, the prices abroad don't skyrocket because of the "Spring Festival". But in China, it's an unspoken truth.
According to media reports, before the Spring Festival holiday, the tax - included prices of economy class tickets for many flights from Beijing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Changsha and other places to Sanya have generally exceeded 1,800 yuan, and the prices during some popular periods have even exceeded 4,000 yuan.
Ctrip data shows that Shantou, a dark - horse domestic destination this Spring Festival, leads with a 186% year - on - year increase in pre - orders, followed by Jieyang with a 162% growth rate. However, the prices of some hotels have increased significantly. For example, the daily room rate of a hotel in Shantou usually ranges from 94 yuan to 119 yuan, but during the Spring Festival holiday, it has risen to more than 1,400 yuan per night, and the room rate on February 19th is as high as 2,450 yuan per night.
The price increase itself isn't new. The problem is that the holiday premium, combined with the crowded experience and sub - standard service, makes some consumers feel that "the expenditure doesn't match the experience".
The relative stability of prices in overseas tourist areas greatly alleviates the anxiety about price premiums.
Looking deeper, it's a change in the sense of role.
Going back to one's hometown for the Spring Festival often means taking on family roles, such as visiting relatives and giving out red envelopes. But traveling abroad allows one to break free from the role of a responsibility - bearer and become a traveler enjoying a long holiday.
When these implicit costs are taken into account, the attractiveness of Spring Festival outbound tourism isn't just about "being cheap or expensive". It's a more controllable and autonomous way of allocating the holiday.
Behind the popularity: Who is making money? Who is getting into trouble?
The popularity of Spring Festival outbound tourism has not only boosted the business of major OTA platforms and airlines but also the front - end of the industrial chain.
A Turkish customized tour planner said bluntly, "The workload during this Spring Festival holiday has increased significantly." The travel agency he works for mainly organizes boutique small groups of 8 people, and the price of the Turkish tour is 8,800 yuan per person. "Since the visa - free policy took effect on January 2, 2026, the number of customers consulting has increased significantly. Many customers didn't originally plan to go to Turkey but adjusted their destinations temporarily because of the visa - free policy. There must be a doubling of the order volume."
The data also confirms this. According to Tongcheng Travel data, among the top 10 long - haul destinations for outbound tourism during the Spring Festival holiday, Turkey ranks first with a 320% year - on - year increase in popularity. At the same time, Russia also benefits from the mutual visa - free policy and ranks first among the top 10 popular destinations for outbound vacation products during the Spring Festival holiday.
A Chinese student who works as a part - time local guide in Russia said, "In previous Spring Festivals, I received scattered orders, but this year's Spring Festival itinerary was fully booked early on."
Image source / pexels
Another travel agency that provides local guide and chartered - car services revealed that the number of outbound tourism orders during this Spring Festival has increased nearly five times compared with normal days. About half of them are family trips, and the popular destinations are concentrated in warm - climate regions such as Southeast Asia and New Zealand. "Most people choose to travel independently in Southeast Asia. However, even for independent travelers, there is a demand for chartered cars or local guides."
While the demand is surging, consumers have also become more rational and shrewd.
Xiao Xiao, who has rich experience in outbound tourism, sighed that tourism is ultimately a service industry, which greatly tests the level of service staff. She gave an example: When taking a group tour, one must clearly understand the departure and arrival times. For example, if it's said to be a 13 - day tour, but the day of departure gathering counts as one day and the day of early - morning arrival also counts as one day, the actual playing time is greatly reduced.
In addition, many services need to be purchased locally. For example, when visiting famous scenic spots, one usually needs to hire a local Chinese - speaking guide, and the level of the guides varies greatly. The coordination between the tour leader and the local guide and their on - the - spot scheduling ability will directly determine the travel experience.
In this context, many consumers have chosen the flexible way of "independent travel + partial group tour". They start with independent travel and then sign up for a group tour temporarily when they encounter places they haven't been to, don't understand, or are inconvenient to visit.
For example, Ke Ke chooses independent travel