(Observación económica) La primavera y el Día de Qingming muestran la vitalidad de la economía de vacaciones en China

China News Service Beijing, April 7th — (Reporter Liu Wenwen) The spring break for primary and secondary schools in many regions is “stitched” together with the Qingming holiday, forming a 6-day “mini holiday,” which has sparked a holiday consumption wave covering transportation, tourism, catering, retail, and other sectors, injecting vitality into China’s overall consumption.

Travel during the holiday period has seen a strong initial growth, with the scale of personnel flow reaching new heights. Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that during this year’s Qingming holiday, the cross-regional personnel flow across society is expected to exceed 845 million trips, with an average of about 282 million trips per day, a 6% increase compared to the Qingming holiday in 2025.

On April 6th, citizens shop for souvenirs at the cherry blossom store in Yuyuantan Park, Beijing. China News Service reporter Yi Haifei photo

In previous Qingming holidays, tourists mostly chose short-distance travel; this year, after the spring break combined with consecutive days off, tourists are traveling farther and staying longer. Data from the China Tourism Research Institute shows a significant increase in medium-distance tourism over 500 kilometers and long-distance tourism over 800 kilometers, with the travel radius and destination radius increasing by more than 10 and 20 percentage points respectively. Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that long-distance family trips with children have doubled in orders year-on-year, and bookings for flights over 800 kilometers have increased by 80% month-on-month.

Parent-child consumption has become the core theme of this mini holiday, driving the growth of the entire industry chain including accommodation, transportation, catering, cultural creation, and educational research. Data from “Qunar” travel shows that from April 1st to 6th, the increase in passengers aged 13 to 18 on flights reached 70%; among groups purchasing their “first-ever flight ticket,” children under 12 increased by 73%, with Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Nanjing becoming the most popular “first flight” destinations nationwide.

Various regions are increasing benefits for the people, further activating the enthusiasm for parent-child travel. For example, Nanjing has created a dedicated service platform called “Young Jinling Tour,” releasing 16 boutique parent-child educational routes; scenic spots such as Huangshan Scenic Area, Wolong Chinese Panda Garden, and Qingcheng Mountain have successively announced ticket discounts for primary and secondary school students. The policy dividends combined with travel demand have boosted regional cultural and tourism consumption. Taking Jiangsu as an example, data from “Fliggy” shows that tourism bookings in the province increased by nearly 40% year-on-year.

While data continues to rise, the upgrading of consumption connotations is also a significant indicator. Traditional Qingming outings mainly focused on flower viewing, mountain climbing, and park strolling; this year, immersive, cultural, and experiential consumption has become the mainstream new trend.

According to monitoring data from the Ministry of Commerce’s business big data, during the Qingming holiday, nationwide theme park consumption increased by 11.7% year-on-year, parent-child educational research orders doubled, and car rental and self-driving orders increased by about 40%. More consumers are willing to pay for high-quality immersive experiences, favoring educational trips, themed vacations, and personalized travel options like self-driving.

This upgrade from “sightseeing” to “experiencing” is also reflected in local data: during the Qingming holiday, Sichuan Provincial Library, Cultural Center, and Museum received a total of 1.8367 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 56.63%. Cultural consumption is growing strongly, with people’s travel needs shifting from “just passing by” to “immersive cultural experience,” and consumer tastes continuing to advance.

Spring break coinciding with Qingming, the mini holiday activates the entire regional consumption momentum. From short-distance trips to long-distance roaming, from sightseeing check-ins to in-depth experiences, the vigorous development of holiday economy vividly reflects China’s enormous market potential and also injects momentum into annual consumption growth. (End)