Spring Break and Qingming Holiday - Family Travel and Incoming Tourism Demand Booming

Key Takeaways

1. The spring holiday + Qingming holiday boosts travel demand, and inbound tourism continues to grow rapidly

With the spring holiday added on top of the Qingming holiday, residents’ travel demand is released in a concentrated manner; the average travel radius of residents expands significantly year over year, and self-driving travel is dominant. In the 1 day before the Qingming holiday through the 2nd day of the holiday, total cross-regional passenger flows across the country increase by 9.7%/3.2% compared with the same period of 2024/2025. According to data from the Ministry of Transport, the cumulative year-over-year growth for rail/waterway/highway/aviation passenger flows is 10.4%/17.5%/2.6%/4.1% respectively. The number of non-commercial passenger car trips on expressways and ordinary national and provincial roads grows by 2.8% year over year, accounting for more than 80% of total passenger flows. As a key way to travel for spring outings, car rentals and self-driving also continue to rise structurally: according to Shenzhou Car Rental, during this year’s Qingming holiday, the number of rental bookings increases by nearly 1x year over year, while the number of cross-city rental bookings increases by nearly 2.5x year over year. According to Flight Passenger Manager, during the Qingming holiday, the average domestic airfare price increases by 11.7% year over year.

During the mini-holiday period, inbound and outbound travel performance is outstanding. This may be driven by China’s tourism consumption offering extreme value for money, and also supported by factors such as the Qingming holiday this year coinciding with the Easter holidays overseas (April 3–6). The National Immigration Administration estimates that during this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the average daily number of inbound and outbound travelers at China’s ports increases by 11.1% year over year, exceeding 2.3 million person-times per day. Platform data show that inbound tourism is hotter than outbound tourism. According to Trip.com’s aviation data, from April 1 to 6, the number of domestic flight ticket bookings exceeds 7.64 million, up about 9% year over year; among them, the number of inbound and outbound flight ticket bookings exceeds 1.42 million, up about 16% year over year. According to Qunar, from April 1 to 6, the growth rate of passengers traveling with a radius of 800 km or more exceeds 30%. According to Ctrip, during the Qingming holiday, the number of inbound tourism orders increases by nearly 90% year over year; inbound consumption power from European countries grows noticeably—for example, the increase in inbound consumption amounts for Russia and Spain exceeds 1.5x.

2. Multiple holidays in sync: rising popularity of family trips and parent-child travel

The spring holiday combined with the Qingming holiday extends the break, driving an overall warming of tourism demand during Qingming, with the share of parent-child travel and family-based tourism rising. Multiple provinces, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and others, have already clearly piloted and implemented spring holidays, and in many places the days off are connected with Qingming, forming a 6-day consecutive break: “3 days of spring holiday + 3 days of Qingming.” Family travel has become the main source of incremental tourism consumption for this round of holidays, and the characteristics of parent-child trips, family trips, and multi-generation traveling are particularly prominent. According to Tongcheng, during Qingming, parent-child travelers account for nearly 25% of outing demand, clearly up versus previous years, and more than 60% of families choose a 4–5 day itinerary; at the same time, booking demand for theme parks, museums, zoos and botanical gardens, science communication education attractions, and study tour products increases in popularity.

Rising popularity of non-traditional travel destinations and cultural/creative tourism consumption; the main travel line shifts from flower viewing and countryside outings to experience-based consumption. Judging from hotel bookings and destination heat, booking growth for non-traditional popular destinations expands noticeably—for example, tourism bookings year over year for places such as Hainan Wenchang, Xinjiang Bortala, and Yunnan Pu’er all exceed 100%. Judging from travel activities, traditional flower viewing and spring outings still form the mainline for Qingming travel, but there is an extension toward experience-oriented demand—according to Qunar, the heat levels of scenic areas featuring mountains, waters, gardens, and flower viewing such as Shouxi Lake, Mount Huangshan, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Wuyuan Huangling, and Yuanxiang Scenic Area are at the top, while search heat for theme parks doubles year over year. Demand for destination consumption simultaneously grows, including visits to cultural and museum sites, immersive cultural performances, tea garden sightseeing, light outdoor activities, and destination consumption needs centered on local seasonal cuisines. However, as of the morning of April 6, this year’s Qingming release box office exceeds RMB 246 million, falling by more than 30% compared with last year’s holiday box office of RMB 378 million.

3. Demand for smart digital devices benefits from optimization of the “trade-in for new” policy

The “trade-in for new” policy for consumer goods has gotten off to a good start, and policy dividends for smart product consumption are showing. According to Ministry of Commerce data, as of March 15 this year, cumulative sales volume of related goods under the “trade-in for new” for consumer goods increases by 15.3% year over year, driving an increase in sales revenue of 3.2%. At the category level, policies for automobiles and home appliances—which are key subsidy targets—have been optimized, while the scope of smartphone and digital product categories has expanded. In particular, more new products are added, such as smart home devices, smart bands, and glasses. In the first quarter, due to factors such as policy optimization, the number of subsidized units and subsidy amounts for automobiles and home appliances may have declined year over year. As of March 22, the cumulative retail sales of automobiles year over year falls by 8% this year, but after the policy expands for smartphone and digital categories, the number of subsidized units and subsidy amounts for these categories increase year over year—our estimate is that the total national subsidy amount used in the first quarter accounts for about 26% of the full-year subsidy usage progress.

Main Text

1. The spring holiday + Qingming holiday boosts travel demand, and inbound tourism continues to grow rapidly

During this year’s Qingming mini-holiday, the number of trips continues the relatively high business optimism of the Spring Festival holiday. In addition, multiple regions nationwide implement spring breaks for primary and middle schools, generally adopting a consecutive 6-day long break of “3 days of spring holiday + Qingming holiday.” During the Qingming holiday, residents’ travel still maintains strong business optimism. Under a comparable basis, in the 1 day before the Qingming holiday through the 2nd day of the holiday this year (April 3–5, 3 days), total cross-regional passenger flows across society accumulate to 775 million person-times; the holiday passenger flow volume increases by 9.7%/3.2% compared with the same periods of 2024/2025 (Figure 1). Compared with the same period of 2025, residents’ trip frequency and travel radius both expand significantly during the Qingming holiday this year; on April 3–5, the number of passengers sent by rail/waterway/highway/aviation increases by 10.4%/17.5%/2.6%/4.1% year over year. In addition, Flight Passenger Manager data show (as of 3/31) that during the Qingming holiday, the average domestic airfare price increases by 15.7% year over year.

• In the 1 day before the Qingming holiday through the 2nd day (April 3–5, total 3 days), total cross-regional passenger flows across society increase by 3.2% year over year. Judging from cross-regional population mobility as depicted by the Baidu Migration Index, the travel heat of residents on the first day of the Qingming holiday increases by 15.6%/11% compared with 2025/2024, respectively, and the average value of the Baidu Migration Index from April 3–5 also increases by 22.5%/9.3% compared with the same period of 2025/2024 (Figure 2). It is worth noting that, because this year’s Qingming holiday is the first time that a three-day consecutive break is achieved without “adjusted workdays,” and combined with spring holidays in Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and other regions forming up to a 6-day holiday, residents’ travel radius expands further. Data from the Ministry of Transport also show that on April 3–5, the number of passengers sent by rail/aviation increases by 10.4%/4.1% year over year, respectively. Flight Passenger Manager data show that on April 3–5, the number of domestic/international flights increases by 0.6%/2.1% year over year, respectively; the average domestic airfare price increases by more than 10% year over year (Figures 3–5).

• The consecutive spring holiday and Qingming holiday drive faster growth in long-line travel during the holiday, with a clearly extended travel radius for residents. Qunar data also show that from April 1–6, the number of passengers traveling with a radius of 800 km or more increases by more than 30% year over year, indicating that the consecutive spring holiday and Qingming break warms residents’ intention for long-distance travel and expands their travel radius. Car rental and self-driving, as an important travel option for spring outings, also continues to rise structurally. On April 3–5, the number of non-commercial passenger car trips on expressways and ordinary national and provincial roads increases by 2.8% year over year, accounting for 85% of the total number of highway trips. Shenzhou Car Rental data show that during this year’s Qingming holiday, the number of car rental bookings increases by nearly 1x year over year, and the cross-city rental booking volume increases by nearly 2.5x year over year. Cities such as Haikou, Sanya, Kunming, Chengdu, and Nanning lead in heat; orders for SUV models suitable for family travel increase by 42%. Ministry of Commerce data also show that during the Qingming holiday, the number of cross-city outings increases by 15.1% year over year, and the number of car rental orders increases by about 40%.

During the mini-holiday period, inbound and outbound tourism performance is outstanding; this may be driven by the extreme value-for-money appeal of China’s tourism consumption, and also supported by factors such as the Qingming holiday this year coinciding with the Easter holiday period overseas (April 3–6). The National Immigration Administration expects that during this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the average daily number of inbound and outbound travelers at ports nationwide increases by 11.1% year over year, exceeding 2.3 million person-times per day. Platform data show that inbound tourism is hotter than outbound tourism. Flight Passenger Manager data show that from April 1 to 6, the number of domestic flight ticket bookings exceeds 7.64 million, up about 9% year over year; among them, the number of inbound and outbound flight ticket bookings exceeds 1.42 million, up about 16% year over year. Qunar data show that from April 1 to 6, the growth rate of passengers traveling with a radius of 800 km or more exceeds 30%. Ctrip data show that during the Qingming holiday, inbound tourism orders increase by nearly 90% year over year; European countries’ inbound consumption power grows noticeably—for example, the increase in inbound consumption amounts for Russia and Spain exceeds 1.5x.

• In recent years, many regions have rolled out spring break policies for primary and secondary schools, and combined with the 5-day long break in the Hong Kong and Macao regions, the “Qingming” holiday welcomes a peak in outbound travel. As an example, in the 1 day before the Qingming holiday through the 2nd day of the holiday (April 3–5), the number of inbound port visitors increases by 5.5% year over year, and the number of international flights in the same period increases by 2.1% year over year (Figure 6). According to Ctrip.com, visa-free international destinations and destinations within a 3–4 hour flight radius are the top choices for Chinese tourists’ outbound travel during the Qingming holiday. Places such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bali, Chiang Mai, Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Phuket, Seoul, and Jeju Island have higher heat levels (Figure 7). The volume of flight tickets to South Korea increases by more than 45% year over year. In addition, by using a long holiday to tour Malaysia with “Kuala Lumpur + Penang” related itineraries, the heat level increases by 230% month over month. For Thailand, booking volume for the “temple blessings + spring markets” combination in Bangkok and Chiang Mai increases by 176% year over year.

• The Qingming holiday has become a new emerging time node for inbound tourism, and the continued growth in inbound tourism orders is driven by visa facilitation and the heat of “China Travel.” According to Ctrip data, inbound tourism orders grow noticeably during the Qingming holiday, with the overall order volume increasing by nearly 90% year over year. By source market, visa-free countries as a whole see an order volume increase of over 45% year over year, nearly 3 times the year-over-year increase of non-visa-free countries. The top source countries include Australia, Uzbekistan, Canada, Türkiye, Malaysia, the United States, and others; among them, tourist arrivals from Türkiye increase 5-fold, from Azerbaijan increase 4.5-fold, and from Uzbekistan increase 4-fold. In addition, European countries’ inbound consumption power grows noticeably. Ctrip data show that the increase in inbound consumption amounts for Russia and Spain exceeds 150%; total consumption amounts in European countries such as Italy and the Netherlands and Belgium also record clear growth of 80%–150%. Ctrip data show that in 2026, the Qingming Festival coincides with the Easter holidays in Hong Kong and Macao (China). The “double holiday” boosts cross-border travel intent markedly: the search heat for inbound hotels increases by 250% year over year, and among them, the share of Hong Kong and Macao source markets reaches 60%. In the same period, overall inbound tourism orders increase by nearly 90% year over year, with visa-free countries’ order increases exceeding 45%, which is clearly higher than that of non-visa-free countries.

2. Multiple holidays in sync: rising popularity of family trips and parent-child travel

The spring holiday combined with the Qingming holiday extends the break, driving an overall warming of tourism demand during Qingming, with the share of parent-child travel and family-based tourism rising. In 2026, the Qingming holiday coincides with the implementation of spring break schedules for primary and middle schools across multiple regions. Provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and others have already clearly piloted and implemented spring holidays. Many regions align their days off with Qingming, forming a 6-day consecutive break of “3 days of spring holiday + 3 days of Qingming” (Figure 8). Data from multiple OTA platforms show that parent-child travel may drive stronger booking momentum during the holiday. According to Tongcheng, as of March 23, during April 1–6, search and booking heat for flights, hotel homestays, and scenic area tickets nearly doubles year over year. Fliggy shows that during the Qingming period, the number of hotel room-nights booked domestically increases by about 40% year over year, and the number of domestic scenic spot tickets booked increases by over 70% year over year.

• Family outings have become the main source of incremental spending on holiday tourism, and the characteristics of parent-child trips, family travel, and multi-generation traveling are particularly evident. According to Tongcheng, during Qingming, the share of parent-child groups among Qingming outing travelers is close to 25%, clearly up versus previous years, and more than 60% of families choose a 4–5 day itinerary. According to Qunar, from April 1 to 6, the number of air passengers aged 13–18 increases by about 85% year over year, and passengers under 12 increase by about 55%, significantly higher than other age groups (Figure 9). At the same time, booking heat for theme parks, museums, zoos and botanical gardens, science communication education attractions, and study tour products increases, reflecting that family customer groups’ demand for companion-based, education-based, and comprehensive experience-based consumption strengthens during the holiday.

• Residents’ travel radius expands significantly, and the share of long-distance and cross-border travel rises. Unlike previous years when Qingming travel mainly featured short trips to nearby areas, this year’s continuous 6-day holiday support enables residents’ travel distance to extend notably, and long-distance travel demand is released. Qunar data show that from April 1 to 6, the growth rate of passengers with a travel radius of 800 km or more exceeds 30%. Tongcheng data show that the booking growth rate for domestic long-haul segments above 800 km is faster, and the search heat for inbound and outbound flight tickets increases by over 50% year over year. On the outbound direction, destinations within 3–4 hour flight circles such as South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia maintain high heat. Among them, the volume of flights to South Korea increases by more than 45% year over year.

• Travel pace shifts overall earlier, and passenger flow and pricing tend to rise in the first half of the holiday. Because spring-holiday family groups prefer to travel earlier to avoid crowds, while office workers mainly depart around the time when the official Qingming holiday begins, the peak of travel during this round of Qingming holiday shows a “two-phase” pattern. Tongcheng’s 2026 Qingming Day travel forecast report shows that from April 1 to 2, the first wave of departure peak is expected, and the average ticket price increases more than 30% month over month compared with the previous week. Then, April 3–4 form the second wave of small peaks in departures, and April 6 corresponds to the peak of return passenger flows. In terms of prices, although ticket prices around Qingming have already increased noticeably compared with the previous week, against the backdrop of higher April fuel surcharges and the fact that May Day holiday ticket prices are typically higher, Qingming is still seen by some families as a “price window period” for long-distance outings.

Rising popularity of non-traditional travel destinations and cultural/tourism consumption; the main travel line extends from flower viewing and spring outings to experience-based consumption. Judging from hotel bookings and destination heat, traditional popular cities such as Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Changsha maintain high levels of business optimism, showing that core cities still have clear advantages in transport accessibility, comprehensive cultural and tourism resources, and capacity for receiving visitors. Traditional leisure and resort destinations such as Haikou and Sanya see booking heat rise noticeably under the boost of spring holidays, with year-over-year increases in hotel bookings exceeding 40%. From the perspective of hotel bookings and destination heat, booking growth for non-traditional popular destinations expands noticeably—for example, tourism booking growth for places such as Hainan Wenchang, Xinjiang Bortala, and Yunnan Pu’er all exceeds 100% (Figure 10).

In terms of travel activities, traditional flower viewing and spring outings still form the mainline for Qingming holiday travel, but consumption preferences extend toward content-oriented and experience-oriented demands—according to Qunar, scenic areas featuring mountains, waters, gardens, and flower viewing such as Shouxi Lake, Mount Huangshan, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Wuyuan Huangling, and Yuanxiang Scenic Area rank at the top in heat levels, while search heat for theme parks doubles year over year. Meanwhile, demand for destination consumption grows in parallel, including visits to cultural and museum attractions, immersive cultural performances, tea garden sightseeing, light outdoor activities, and destination consumption needs centered on local seasonal cuisines. However, as of the morning of April 6, this year’s Qingming release box office exceeds RMB 246 million, falling by more than 30% compared with last year’s holiday box office of RMB 378 million (Figure 11).

3. Demand for smart digital devices benefits from optimization of the “trade-in for new” policy

The “trade-in for new” policy for consumer goods has gotten off to a good start, and policy dividends for smart product consumption are showing. According to Ministry of Commerce data, this year’s first quarter for automobiles and home appliances may see year-over-year declines in both subsidy quantity and subsidy amounts due to factors such as policy optimization, but after the smartphone and digital categories expand, the subsidy amount increases year over year. We estimate that in this year’s Q1, the total national subsidy amount used accounts for about 26% of the full-year subsidy usage progress. Local regions also provide policy support tailored to local conditions. For example, in Hebei, ahead of the Qingming holiday, targeted special subsidies of RMB 8B are deployed, further broken down into RMB 8B in digital coupons and RMB 8B in home appliance coupons, using “holiday effects” to drive the recovery of offline brick-and-mortar retail. Beijing focuses on improving channel penetration rates. By significantly expanding the range of offline brick-and-mortar retail support, it achieves growth in both the number of channel enterprises and merchants (Figure 12).

• In 2026, the policy for “trade-in for new” of consumer goods continues to be rolled out. The total annual subsidy scale is about RMB 250 billion, which is down RMB 50 billion year over year compared with last year. At the category level, the subsidy policies for automobiles and home appliances—key subsidy targets—are optimized. The scope for smartphone and digital categories expands, especially adding new products such as smart home devices, smart bands, and glasses. The subsidy cap for automobiles (scrappage and replacement) remains unchanged, but subsidies shift from fixed-amount subsidies to percentage-based subsidies, so the total subsidy amount may decrease, and national subsidies may adopt a unified standard. Home appliance subsidies focus on fewer categories, reducing from 12 categories to 6 categories. Meanwhile, subsidies for electric bicycles are canceled (Figure 13).

• According to Ministry of Commerce data, from January to March, sales revenue under the “trade-in for new” for consumer goods exceeds RMB 433.17 billion. We estimate that the national subsidy amounts used for automobiles, home appliances, and smartphone digital categories are approximately RMB 20 billion, RMB 28 billion, and RMB 16 billion, respectively; the combined amount accounts for about 26% of the full-year subsidy usage progress. Specifically, the sales revenue under the “trade-in for new” for automobiles is RMB 228.69 billion. From January to March, automobiles received 8B trade-in applications in total, driving new car sales revenue of RMB 228.69 billion. Of this, scrappage update subsidies account for 403k applications, driving sales revenue of RMB 51.96 billion; replacement update applications are 8B, driving sales revenue of RMB 176.73 billion (Figures 14–17). In addition, Ministry of Commerce data show that during the Qingming holiday, sales revenue of smart glasses and smart watches/smart bands on key platforms increases by 3.2x and 12.3% respectively.

Source: Huatai Ruisi

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