"Buy a ticket after exiting the station"！ Subway stations outside Nanjing's popular attractions are overcrowded, and a nationwide travel boom has erupted in many places.

The nine-day Spring Festival holiday in 2026 acted as a powerful boost, activating a “spring water” effect in the national tourism market.

On the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year (February 20), a reporter from Huaxia Times observed at the Xia Ma Fang subway station outside the popular Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing that the surging crowds had changed the operation mode of the subway station. The entry gates automatically opened, staff guided people directly onto the trains, and repeatedly shouted “Buy tickets after exiting.”

“Too many people, so we don’t let people buy tickets or check tickets at the entrance. Just handle the tickets when they exit,” a subway staff member told the reporter.

According to official data released by Nanjing’s Cultural and Tourism Bureau, by February 19, nearly ten million tourists had visited Nanjing’s scenic spots during the Spring Festival, with a peak of over 2.9 million visitors in a single day, a year-on-year increase of over 15%. In fact, the tourism boom was not limited to Nanjing. This year’s “longest-ever Spring Festival holiday” not only ignited nationwide travel enthusiasm but also propelled Chinese tourism from a “traffic frenzy” to a focus on “deep experiences.” Many places across the country experienced sold-out tickets, full hotels, and congested transportation, making tourism a core engine for driving consumption growth.

Nanjing Example: Policy Support and Product Development

Official information from Nanjing’s Cultural and Tourism Bureau shows that the city’s Spring Festival tourism data exhibited “explosive growth.” On February 15 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), the city received 1.348 million visitors, a 31.4% increase compared to the same day in 2025; on February 19 (the third day), daily visitors reached 2.948 million, up 19.7% year-on-year. Notably, the Meihua Mountain in Zhongshan Scenic Area approached 50,000 visitors in a single day, and cultural landmarks such as Laomendong and the Qinhuai Lantern Festival became popular check-in spots, with over 70% of visitors coming from outside the city, mainly from Zhejiang, Shandong, and Shanghai.

“Spring Festival in Nanjing is a ‘cultural + technological’ double feast,” said a relevant official from Nanjing’s Cultural and Tourism Bureau. This year’s festival themed “Come to Nanjing Now” featured over 600 cultural and tourism activities, including lantern festivals, intangible cultural heritage, plum blossom viewing, performances, exhibitions, and social media check-ins, catering to different age groups.

“Lantern Festival”: The 40th Qinhuai Lantern Festival themed “A Millennium of Lanterns Shining in Jinling” combined intangible cultural heritage techniques with modern light and shadow technology. The “Treasure Gathering Little Blue Horse” at Zhonghua Gate and the “Big Chubby Orange Cat” lantern at Laomendong became viral social media content, attracting many young visitors. “Plum Blossom Viewing”: The Meihua Mountain in Zhongshan Scenic Area entered full bloom, with nearly 50,000 visitors in a day during the festival, making it one of East China’s most attractive early spring plum blossom destinations. “Social Media Check-in”: The city launched 10 popular check-in spots, such as Laomendong’s “Oriental Night Blooming Flowers,” Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Area, and Jinling Small Town, and collaborated with international friends to produce “Foreigners Traveling Nanjing” costume videos, boosting the city’s image.

While many cultural tourism products attracted visitors, Nanjing also introduced multiple benefit measures during the holiday, significantly reducing tourists’ time costs and psychological barriers. For example, during the Spring Festival, 25 “G” line sightseeing routes covering key attractions like the Confucius Temple, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and Xuanwu Lake were opened for free rides, easing issues like difficulty in hailing taxis and parking. 2,373 smart luggage lockers were set up to offer “luggage storage + home delivery” services, allowing seamless transfer of luggage at scenic spots, high-speed rail stations, and hotels. The “Fly to Nanjing for Benefits” campaign allowed visitors with boarding passes or train tickets to enjoy exclusive discounts on tickets and accommodations within 10 days, enhancing the experience for out-of-town visitors. Additionally, dynamic management in high-traffic areas like the Confucius Temple and Meihua Mountain implemented reservation systems and temporary traffic controls to ensure safety and quality of visits.

Longest-ever Spring Festival Holiday Sparks Nationwide Tourism Boom

The tourism boom was not limited to Nanjing. According to publicly available data, many other regions across China also saw significant growth.

Shandong Province reported that 200 monitored scenic spots received 3.32 million visitors on the first day of the Lunar New Year, generating 148 million yuan in revenue, up 10.6% and 9.6% respectively compared to the same day in 2025. Hubei Province’s data showed that on February 15, provincial A-level scenic spots received 1.2642 million visitors, a 17.08% increase year-on-year. Jiangsu Province’s figures indicated that from February 15 to 19, the total number of visitors to cultural and tourism venues reached 14.1686 million, with total spending of 6.159 billion yuan, up over 34% year-on-year. Ctrip data showed that airline ticket and hotel bookings during the Spring Festival increased by 105% compared to last year, with destinations like Sanya, Xishuangbanna, and Wanning seeing hotel reservations rise over 160%. Some popular hotels experienced tight room supplies and doubled prices during the holiday.

Behind this tourism surge are the combined benefits of “the longest holiday ever,” cultural experience upgrades, and improved travel conditions.

Ctrip’s earlier “2026 Year of the Horse Spring Festival Tourism Market Forecast” report indicated that the “leave 5 days, take 15 days” flexible leave pattern was popular this year, especially among the post-80s generation, greatly extending the actual travel period. The trend of “reunion first, then vacation” became mainstream: about 35% of travelers chose to travel during off-peak times before the holiday (“early bird travel”), while many started family trips on the second and third days of the Lunar New Year, creating multiple travel peaks. The average travel duration increased to 5.9 days, up 1.1 days from last year, with long-distance outbound trips averaging 9.8 days, indicating that travel has become deeply integrated into the Spring Festival lifestyle.

Local key cultural activities also enhanced the cultural experience. Folk events like Quanzhou’s “Touring the Land,” Chaoshan’s Yingge Dance, and Zigong Lantern Festival in Sichuan gained popularity, boosting local hotel bookings by over 80%. Cities like Beijing, Xi’an, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Chengdu became top destinations for traditional festival activities such as temple fairs, lantern festivals, and intangible cultural heritage crafts. Cultural and creative products also fueled scene-based consumption: Shanghai Yuyuan’s “Cloud Horse Dream Chase” lanterns and Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival’s “Treasure Gathering Little Blue Horse” IP sold out quickly, becoming social media viral hits.

Policy and service upgrades also improved travel experiences. Governments and platforms worked together to stimulate consumption from the supply side. Transportation security was strengthened: airlines increased “migratory bird routes,” high-speed rail and ride-hailing stations saw strong demand, and cross-regional mobility became more convenient. From a benefit perspective, many regions issued consumption vouchers, offered ticket discounts, and optimized reservation systems, ensuring smooth and comfortable travel and stay.

“2026’s Spring Festival tourism boom is the result of the superimposition of four factors: policy, culture, customer groups, and behaviors. The extended holiday released pent-up travel demand, cultural experiences became a key attraction, family travelers dominated consumption, and slow, in-depth travel became mainstream. This not only signifies a tourism market recovery but also reflects China’s consumer transformation—from material consumption to spiritual and emotional consumption,” said Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy.

(Source: Huaxia Times)