Tourism flourishes in 2024 New Year holiday

During the three-day New Year's Day holiday, Chinese people's enthusiasm for tourist consumption soars, showing the warm festive environment everywhere, reflecting people's expectations for a better life in the new year, and indicating a surging momentum in the Chinese economy.

Making use of natural resources, the ice and snow economy saw notable growth. According to data from Meituan and Dianping, in November 2023, group orders for skiing tickets grew over 780% compared to 2019, focusing on popular skiing destinations such as Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and Hebei.

Beyond the ski resorts, savoring warm cuisines in city centers is another winter delight.

During the holiday, it became a nationwide phenomenon for restaurants to be fully booked. While dine-in business thrived, restaurants also seized the opportunity to launch online group-buying packages.

Meituan's data showed that the week before New Year's Day, the number of "New Year" themed group-buying packages launched by restaurants increased by 108%, and orders for related packages surged by 526%.

On the other side, many people went for an impromptu trip.

During the New Year holiday, Hangzhou resident Hu Haonan and his family enjoyed a delightful self-driving tour in west Yunnan's Tengchong city. They watched the sunrise, visited temples, relaxed in hot springs, and enjoyed local delicacies.

"Prices are affordable, the scenery is beautiful, and the food is excellent. The kids had a great time," said Hu Haonan.

The nationwide tourism market flourished throughout the New Year holiday. Ctrip data indicated a 168% year-on-year increase in domestic New Year's travel orders, with a 388% increase in outbound travel orders.

Local transportation inside cities was also in high demand. According to Didi Chuxing data, New Year's fireworks and light displays lifted ride-hailing demand considerably, and the early hours of January 1, 2024 turned out to be the peak period for trip requests.

Efficient travel options facilitated smooth journeys.

Data from the Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China showed that during the holiday, the total number of passengers on national railways, highways, waterways, and civil aviation exceeded 120 million, marking a 78.4% increase compared to the same period in 2023 and a 33.1% increase compared to 2022.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Guo Yao