Foreign tourists are flocking to China for the New Year as flight bookings and hotel stays surge, with Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou leading popular destinations.
Data from China’s online travel platform Qunar shows that on Jan. 1st, 2026, international flight bookings to China rose 20% year-on-year, CNS reported. Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou were the most popular cities, followed by Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Shenyang, Nanjing, and Chongqing. Haikou and Sanya saw the fastest growth, with bookings increasing more than threefold and fivefold, respectively.
Leading Source Countries
The main source countries for inbound tourists included Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, and the United States. Countries with the fastest growth in bookings were Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Poland, Austria, the UAE, India, and Qatar, all exceeding 100% year-on-year growth. Spain saw nearly an 80% increase.
Outbound Travel Hits Peak
Outbound travel from China also surged. On Jan. 1st, Chinese travellers flew to 475 cities worldwide and stayed in hotels across 821 international destinations. Newly opened air routes, such as Fuzhou–Hanoi, Sanya–Ho Chi Minh City, and Guangzhou–Darwin, boosted bookings to Vietnam by 160% and to Melbourne by 40% compared with last year.
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