People booking early and often for holidays

Thanks to an intense promotion campaign by tourism bureaus nationwide, a record high Spring Festival tourism market is expected by China's travel operators.

A report by major domestic online travel operator Tuniu.com revealed over the weekend that the scale of the domestic tourism market during the holiday is expected to hit a record, with some itineraries already sold out.

The booking peak and sell-out time of popular group tour products during the holiday is much earlier than previous years, the report revealed.

The travel craze in northeast China's Harbin has sparked a boom in ice and snow tourism nationwide with group tour products for Harbin, Changbai Mountain, Yabuli, and Mohe already sold out, some as early as mid-December, the online travel agency said.

The first travel peak is estimated on February 7. Tourists from Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou have shown a stronger tendency for a trip during the holiday.

Another online travel operator Tongcheng Travel estimated record high trips of tourists traveling with families during the holiday based on its railway and flight ticket booking statistics.

With some railway tickets already sold out, coupled with the holiday travel spree, a domestic air ticket has soared to nearly 1,000 yuan (US$139) on average, the highest since 2019, according to its report predicting the Chunyun (Spring Festival travel rush) travel trend.

Traditional popular winter resorts such as Haikou and Sanya have witnessed the biggest increases in flight prices, it said.

Based on its railway ticket sales, Chongqing, Harbin and Guiyang are the most popular domestic destinations during the holiday with Harbin moving to the second spot from 16th from the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, more than 20 percent of users plan to make two trips or more during the Spring Festival travel rush period, and they will travel farther.

From lantern shows to temple fairs, the most traditional way of celebration is favored by tourists with the clock ticking down to the holiday, according to leading travel review website Mafengwo.

Based on its statistics, the popularity index of Shanghai Yuyuan Garden lantern fair has soared 113 percent in the latest week.

Traditional cultural and folk custom activities are gaining increasing allure among the younger generation under a combination approach with other elements like guochao (China-chic), it said.

Traditional activities such as colorful fish lantern shows, Huangmei Opera performances and paper-cut displays in Huangshan City known for famed Yellow Mountain scenic area are also gaining popularity.