Spring Break Stacking with Qingming Festival Creates New Golden Week
Spring Cultural Tourism Consumption Shows Steady Upward Trend

With the Spring and Autumn Holidays first included in the government work report and entering pilot programs, many primary and secondary schools across multiple regions seamlessly connect their spring break with the Qingming Festival holiday, creating a six-day continuous holiday. This has given rise to the new “Qingming Golden Week,” significantly boosting the spring cultural and tourism market. Monitoring data from several online travel platforms show that from April 1 to 6, bookings for flights, hotels, homestays, and scenic spot tickets surged dramatically. Family trips, long-distance travel, and outbound tours all gained momentum, with new consumption formats accelerating their emergence, leading to a structural recovery in the cultural and tourism market.

Tuniu’s “2026 Qingming Travel Consumption Trends Report” mentions that this year’s Qingming travel market has formed two major peak travel periods. On April 1 and 2, leveraging the spring break benefits, family trips for parents and children began to travel off-peak, forming the first peak; on the first day of the Qingming holiday, April 4, the flow of visitors enjoying outdoor activities and flower viewing surged, marking the second peak. Tuniu data also shows that over 70% of travelers chose to travel between April 1 and 3, with nearly 65% planning trips lasting 3 to 5 days, seeking moderate travel that balances work and leisure. Qunar data indicates that the spring break significantly increased the proportion of youth in the travel market. From April 1 to 6, air travel for passengers under 18 doubled year-over-year, and scenic spots saw more than a threefold increase in teenage visitors, with family groups becoming the main consumer force during this holiday.

The extended holiday broke the traditional short-distance Qingming travel limitations, leading to significant growth in long-distance and outbound travel. According to Tongcheng Travel, as of March 23, searches and bookings for related travel products from April 1 to 6 nearly doubled compared to the previous year. Bookings for domestic long-haul flights over 800 kilometers increased rapidly, and searches for inbound and outbound flights rose by over 50% year-over-year. Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that travelers from cities like Nanjing, Suzhou, and Chengdu—pilot cities for the spring break—are shifting to “reverse escapes,” no longer limited to nearby destinations. Booking heat in these cities increased by 148%, 126%, and 113%, respectively. Regarding outbound markets, Tongcheng Travel data indicates a significant rise in outbound travel during Qingming, with Seoul, Bangkok, and Jeju Island among the top ten popular destinations. Consumer preferences show regional differences: families from Jiangsu and Zhejiang prefer Japan and South Korea, while families from Sichuan and Chongqing favor Southeast Asia. Additionally, Tuniu data shows that cultural, educational, and theme park products remain popular, with many regions launching free tickets and educational experiences to meet family travel needs.

The cultural and tourism consumption scene continues to upgrade, with diverse experiences becoming a market highlight. Tongcheng Travel data shows that searches related to flower viewing and outdoor activities increased by 265% month-over-month. Nighttime flower viewing and tea garden wellness have become new trends, with bookings for tea garden scenic spots up 56% year-over-year. Relying on seasonal spring cuisine, Tongcheng Travel observed a surge in “flavor-seeking travel,” with local specialties like salted duck and spring pancakes driving tourism in Yixing, Shenyang, and other cities. Focusing on the short-distance market, Tuniu data indicates that over 60% of travelers prefer nearby self-driving trips, with popular bundled products like “flower viewing + homestay” and “flower viewing + camping” receiving excellent market response. Qunar data adds that due to expectations of increased fuel surcharges on flights, many travelers are choosing to travel early. The prices for popular Qingming routes are only half of those during the May Day holiday, further activating off-peak travel demand with high cost-performance.

In terms of destination reception, high-quality cities are fully capturing passenger flow benefits, gradually forming a two-way flow pattern. Qunar data shows that from April 1 to 6, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Guangzhou led in hotel bookings. Guangzhou’s bookings increased by 1.8 times year-over-year, Hangzhou and Luoyang by 1.2 times, and Sanya, relying on travelers from Sichuan and Chongqing, saw a 1.4-fold increase. Pilot cities for the spring break are no longer just outbound sources; with free tickets and special cultural activities attracting visitors, they are achieving a two-way flow of tourists and revitalizing local cultural and tourism resources.

Yang Han, a researcher at Qunar Big Data Research Institute, believes that the combination of spring break and traditional holidays has temporarily stimulated spring cultural and tourism consumption. Off-peak vacations help disperse travel pressure and improve the visitor experience, while also promoting the integration of education and tourism. Looking ahead, the popularization of Spring and Autumn Holidays will reshape the domestic tourism cycle, reduce reliance on traditional Golden Weeks, and promote balanced, high-quality development of the cultural and tourism industry, continuously releasing domestic demand potential.

Editor: Meng Lingjin, Xu Nan

(Tongcheng Travel, Qunar Travel, Tuniu Travel)