MKS sports on December 4, 2024. Photo: Xinhua" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-06/80ca449b-5bc4-432e-9200-24fa36f7480e.jpeg" />

Tourists from the Republic of Korea visit the Yuyuan Garden Mall in East China's Shanghai, on December 4, 2024. Photo: Xinhua

During the Spring Festival holidays, the inbound tourism market saw significant growth, driven by the expansion of visa-free entry policies and the inclusion of the Spring Festival on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

This Spring Festival is the first one since the inscription of the festival on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. We're glad to see that as China puts more countries on the visa-free list and fully relaxes and improves visa-free transit policy, the Chinese New Year is becoming a worldwide celebrated festival, with nearly 20 countries designating the Spring Festival as an official holiday and Spring Festival customs celebrated in almost 200 countries and regions, said Lin Jian, Foreign Ministry spokesperson at the regular press conference on Wednesday.

The festival was celebrated around the world with joy in such activities as traditional temple fair, dragon and lion dance, float parade, Hanfu clothing experience, lit-up of landmarks in Chinese red, and "a taste of China." Meanwhile, foreign friends have shown growing enthusiasm for visiting China during the Chinese New Year, Lin said.

Lin added that data from third-party platforms indicate that inbound arrivals during this year's Spring Festival leaped by 150 percent year on year, hitting a new high.

Data from the National Immigration administration revealed that border inspection agencies across the country processed a total of 14.366 million entries and exits during this Spring Festival holidays, an increase of 6.3 percent compared to the same period in 2024, according to the CCTV News on Wednesday. Among these, 958,000 were foreign visitors, reflecting a growth of 22.9 percent from last Spring Festival.
 
Online travel platform Ctrip told the Global Times that inbound tourism ticket bookings surged by 180 percent compared to 2024, with hotel bookings also increasing by more than 60 percent.

According to a 2025 Spring Festival tourism summary report from Ctrip released on February 4, short-haul inbound tourism orders from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand grew by 130 percent compared to 2024's Spring Festival, while long-haul inbound tourism orders from France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and Australia increased by nearly 120 percent.

During the Spring Festival holidays, international visitors to China increasingly opted for "deep travel" experiences. CCTV reported that major cities remained key destinations for inbound tourism, while lesser-known destinations with vibrant festive atmospheres also attracted international tourists.
 
The most popular destinations for inbound tourists include Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Zhuhai. Spring Festival featured destinations, such as Shijiazhuang, Fuzhou, and Xi'an, experienced inbound bookings increases of 50 percent, 52 percent, and 97 percent, respectively, compared to 2024's Spring Festival, according to Ctrip.

The intangible cultural heritage projects during the Spring Festival also became a highlight of this year's wave of inbound tourism to China, showcasing the appeal of traditional culture in modern tourism. Ctrip told the Global Times that related ticket sales for lantern fairs, temple fairs, and traditional Chinese dramas on their overseas platform increased nearly 7.5 times compared to 2024.

Some foreign visitors shared their Spring Festival travel experiences on Xiaohongshu, capturing the attention of netizens. A French user expressed her amazement after visiting the lantern fair in Zigong, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, for the first time. A Turkish user also posted about her experience in "Spring Festival travel rush." "My first time in sleeper class, my first time on a seven-hour train ride," she shared.