China’s annual Spring Festival travel rush, a 40-day period commonly referred to as the world’s largest annual human migration, kicked off on Feb 2 ahead of an extended Chinese New Year holiday. This year’s New Year, ushering in the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac, falls on Feb 17 and will be accompanied by an extra-long nine-day public holiday in China, running from Feb 15 to 23. It is hoped a longer holiday (the 2025 break was eight days long) might prompt Chinese consumers to boost consumption by spending more on travel, meals and more this festival period.
Many Chinese consumers have been shaken by the country’s uncertain economic outlook and would rather save than spend. Home owners have seen their assets depreciate in a years-long property market slump, while weaker growth momentum since the pandemic has added to job insecurity. This said, a state planning official said last week that China expects a record 9.5 billion passenger trips to be made during the travel period, surpassing the 9.02 billion trips made in 2025.
“Why do I feel it’s even more stressful to buy tickets this year compared to last year? For example, the flight back to my home is already sold out,” said 32-year-old Liu, a traveller flying out of Guangzhou airport on Feb 2. “If you don’t buy early, the price range fluctuates a lot, and can even double.” Major travel platforms reported Chinese New Year bookings for 2026 already surpassing 2025 levels. According to data from Flight Master, as of mid-January, bookings for domestic flights during the holiday exceeded 4.13 million, up about 21 per cent year on year.
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