Qingming holiday flight bookings increased by approximately 27% year-over-year; flower viewing tours upgraded and iterated.

Staff Reporter Xu Linyan

This year, many regions combined their spring break with the Qingming holiday, boosting travel markets in April. As many parts of the country enter the flower blooming season, flower viewing trips have become the “main theme” of Qingming travel this year, with a significant increase in flight bookings to popular flower viewing cities. Besides traditional popular spots remaining attractive, a number of niche cities with unique cultural and tourism resources are gradually becoming new travel choices for travelers.

Flight Bookings Surge

Data from Trip.com shows that by March 18, during the Qingming holiday in 2026, domestic flight bookings exceeded 1.31 million tickets, a roughly 27% increase compared to the same period last year; international flight bookings exceeded 540,000 tickets, up about 14% year-over-year.

Among the top domestic destinations, Shanghai and Beijing remain the top two, with Chengdu flight bookings surpassing 100,000, more than doubling from last year, making it a potential “traffic magnet” for this year’s Qingming holiday. Guangzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, and Xi’an follow closely, becoming the top ten popular cities for Qingming. Notably, Guangzhou and Nanjing saw flight bookings increase by over 60% compared to last year, ranking high in growth.

Beyond these popular cities, a group of third-tier cities with natural scenery and niche features are becoming the “new treasure destinations” for Qingming travel this year. Data from Trip.com shows significant year-over-year growth in flight bookings for Mianyang, Wuyishan, Yancheng, and Mangshi.

Additionally, some travelers are seeking to “snatch up” low-priced tickets to less crowded and affordable cities. Currently, on Trip.com’s official airline direct sales platform, during Qingming, routes such as Shanghai—Nanchang, Shanghai—Baicheng, and Beijing—Nanchang still offer special tickets around 300 yuan.

Hybrid Flower Viewing Tours Become a New Trend

Li Mengran, Media Relations Manager at Zhongxin Travel Group Co., Ltd. (hereafter “Zhongxin Travel”), told Securities Daily that spring flower viewing tours are an important driver of cultural tourism recovery. “This year, Zhongxin Travel’s flower viewing market continues to flourish both domestically and abroad, with more destination options and diverse product types.”

Data from Zhongxin Travel shows that the outbound flower viewing market features “continued popularity of classic destinations and emerging new ones.” The Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada are the top three popular outbound destinations for flower viewing. As Canada’s tourism market continues to recover, flight capacity steadily increases, and local spring flower viewing products have become more affordable, making Canada a new hot spot for outbound flower viewing trips this year.

As tourism consumption upgrades, flower viewing has shifted from simple sightseeing to a “flower viewing + culture + experience + interaction” multi-faceted travel activity. “Spring flower viewing is no longer just a visual check-in; it’s an immersive and beautiful experience,” Li Mengran told Securities Daily.

“This year, flower viewing trips are characterized by a comprehensive upgrade in experience, shifting from simple photo check-ins to a variety of immersive activities such as flower viewing + homestays, camping, Hanfu costumes, night tours, and cultural creations. The consumer scene is richer, and demands are becoming more refined,” said Yu Xiaoming, Senior Investment Advisor at Jufeng Investment Consulting, to Securities Daily.

(Editor: Qiao Chuan Chuan)