Data reveals Spring Festival holiday travel trends

Big cities make hot destinations for inbound travelers

As more and more Chinese tourists opt for a foreign vacation during the holiday, another noteworthy trend is that a considerable number of foreign expats come to China to experience the Chinese Lunar New Year. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are still the top three destinations for foreign visitors, as big cities can offer a vibrant urban life experience and convenient transportation. But second-tier cities like Chengdu, Xiamen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Fuzhou, Changsha and Kunming also make the list due to their folk culture, unique cuisine and pleasant climate.

Reversed Spring Festival travel rush

For Chinese people, the most important Spring Festival tradition is going back to their hometown for family reunion. So usually the Spring Festival travel rush unleashes China's largest seasonal migration of people. But according to data, this year's travel rush shows a reversed direction, that is, a growing percentage of people chose to pick up the elderly and other family members to join them in cities to celebrate Spring Festival. Five popular destinations for this reversed travel route are Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. The rationale behind this trend is that people can avoid the transportation peak by choosing a reversed direction.