Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 5.96 billion domestic trips during the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, setting a new record in both the number of people and expenditures.

On February 24, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's data center, during the 9-day Spring Festival holiday, a total of 5.96 billion domestic trips were made across the country, an increase of 0.95 billion compared to the 8-day Spring Festival holiday in 2025. The total expenditure on domestic travel reached 803.483 billion yuan, an increase of 126.481 billion compared to the 8-day Spring Festival holiday in 2025. Both the number of holiday travelers and expenditure reached a historical high, and the national cultural and tourism market remained stable and orderly. Cultural activities added to the festive atmosphere. The highlight of the intangible cultural heritage activities was the "Intangible Heritage Celebrates the New YearTasting the Chinese New Year" theme activities, with various intangible heritage performances and temple fairs held in many places, and the "2026 Intangible Heritage Gala" leading in viewership. Literary and art performances were widely popular, with events such as the "Gathering of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei OperasSpring Performance Season," Shaanxi's "Xi'an Has Qin Opera Every Day," and Heilongjiang's "Ice and Snow Convergence at Taoshan Temple" Ice and Snow Performance Season enriching the festive lives of the masses. Celebrating the New Year in museums has become a trend, with cultural and museum venues in Zhejiang, Liaoning, Ningxia, and other places offering hundreds of themed exhibitions and interactive activities, allowing citizens and tourists to immerse themselves in traditional culture. Beneficial measures activated consumption, giving a good start to cultural and tourism consumption. The 2026 National Spring Festival Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month activities were launched with enthusiasm, with various places distributing consumption vouchers, special subsidies, and other incentives to promote the prosperity of the cultural and tourism market. Fujian introduced more than 4,300 cultural and tourism consumption activities and over 560 preferential policies, Hunan conducted more than 3,000 consumption promotion activities through the distribution of consumption vouchers, discounts on scenic tickets, and art performances to benefit the people, and Chongqing launched more than 1,300 cultural and tourism activities and distributed 50 million yuan in travel subsidies. The night economy was vibrant, with ancient city cultural districts in Luoyang and commercial districts in Changsha bustling and lively, enlivening nighttime cultural and tourism consumption. Integration of culture and tourism revitalized industries. Science and technology empowered scene innovation, with Quanzhou, Fujian's intangible cultural heritage lantern festival featuring over 2,000 heritage lanterns online, creating a new spring festival scene of "fireworks that never fade" with digital light and shadow technology, and innovatively launching the "World Heritage Explorations" AI script tour. Ice and snow tourism unleashed a "heat effect," with Harbin, Heilongjiang promoting a "New Year Ice and Snow Feast" at the ice and snow world, featuring spring festival themed ice sculptures, trendy performances, light shows, interactive blessings, and other experiences. Rural tourism was thriving, with various places offering products such as ancient town folklore, rural sightseeing routes, and countryside experiences, allowing tourists to admire the green mountains and clear waters and reminisce about the rural charm. Film and television intellectual property (IP) drove cultural and tourism development, with many places launching themed tour routes and special exhibitions inspired by popular TV dramas, creating new hotspots in cultural and tourism education. This article was selected from the "Voice of Culture and Tourism" WeChat public account. Translated by: Huang Xiaodong.