As China bid farewell to zero-COVID policies with borders reopened and all COVID quarantine measures abandoned from 8 January, the first Lunar New Year (aka Spring Festival) in three years which no longer required citizens to “Stay Local”, saw pent-up demand for travel.
Travel-related bookings saw a 6-fold surge in the lead-up to the celebration. Of which, cross-provincial orders made up nearly 80%, while overseas trips saw record high bookings in three years according to a report by Alibaba-owned online travel agency Fliggy on 11 January.
With eager travellers re-exploring inside and outside the country during the largest annual celebration and one of the longest national holidays, Dao Insights outlines some of the top destinations that drew in the highest footfall during the festive season.
Searches for domestic long-distance travel products increased 20 times as of 8 January, with “islands” topping the trending list.
Winter-sun destinations
Places with warm weather have been the backbone driving the recovery of long-distance trips as tourists seek to escape the winter cold. Searches for domestic long-distance travel products are reported to have increased 20 times as of 8 January, with “islands” topping the trending list.
The top three most visited regions are those famous for its tropical climate, including Xishuangbanna (an autonomous prefecture in Southwestern Yunnan province also known for its Dai ethnic culture), Sanya, a renowned tourism hotpot situated in the Southern end of Hainan province, and Dali, a city also in Yunnan province which has mild winters.
Meanwhile, niche islands have also been the go-to for young travellers and those travelling with families who want to avoid the crowds at mainstream resorts, while not missing out on the sunshine. As a result, Weizhou Island (the largest island of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Beihai city), Nan’ao Island (a county of the prefecture-level city of Shantou in Guangdong province), and Qiandao Lake (or Xin’anjiang Reservoir, a human-made, freshwater lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province) were the most popular destinations.
Natural ice wonderlands such as Harbin, and humanmade ice and snow resorts retain their appeal.
While others such as Aranya, Boundary Island, and Dongshan Island are also among the top 10 attractions for those island goers, as per Mafengwo the dubbed “travel bible” by younger Chinese netizens.
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