Spring Festival Boosts Tourism and Dining | Generated by AI
Question: What businesses thrive during the Spring Festival in China, specifically tourist spots and canteens?
Answer:
During China’s Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year or Chunjie), the week-long holiday triggers a massive travel rush called Chunyun, with billions of trips for family reunions and leisure. This period drives explosive growth in certain industries, particularly tourism and related services.
Tourist Spots and Related Businesses
Tourist destinations experience a massive boom due to record-breaking domestic and inbound travel. In 2025, China saw over 501 million domestic tourist trips, with tourism spending reaching 677 billion yuan (about $93 billion USD), up significantly year-on-year.
Popular spots include:
- Warm southern provinces like Hainan, Yunnan, and Guangxi (e.g., Yangshuo County)
- Winter destinations in the north such as Harbin (ice festivals), Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Xinjiang (e.g., Altay)
- Cultural sites with lantern festivals, temple fairs, and traditional performances in cities like Shanghai (Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival), Beijing, Xi’an, and Chongqing
Businesses that thrive include:
- Hotels
- Scenic areas
- Transportation (trains, flights, roads)
- Local attractions offering cultural experiences like folk dances, puppet shows, and ice/snow activities
Tourism revenue in individual spots often surges, with some areas reporting hundreds of millions in earnings over the holiday.
Canteens and Restaurants
Catering and dining businesses see strong growth, with major catering revenue rising around 6% year-on-year in recent holidays. Family reunion dinners, feasting on traditional foods, and increased travel boost demand for restaurants.
However, canteens (shitang, often referring to communal dining halls in schools, workplaces, or communities) do not particularly thrive:
- Many close during the holiday as factories, offices, and schools shut down
- Workers return home
- Community or elderly canteens may operate but are not a major boom sector compared to commercial restaurants or tourist dining
The overall retail and catering sector benefits from festive spending on meals, gifts, and outings, but tourist-related dining (e.g., at scenic spots or hotels) sees the biggest gains rather than institutional canteens.
In summary, tourist spots and the broader tourism industry (including hotels, attractions, and transport) thrive the most, while restaurants benefit significantly from festive dining. Canteens, however, generally see reduced activity during this family-focused holiday.
References:
- https://english.www.gov.cn/archive/statistics/202502/06/content_WS67a3f8bdc6d0868f4e8ef62a.html
- https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-01-31/Festive-frenzy-Spring-Festival-ignites-China-s-economy-1AC4Uf2y1gI/index.html
- https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202502/08/WS67a6d086a310a2ab06eaaea8.html
- https://pandayoo.com/post/chinese-spring-festival-tourism-soars-economic-impact-cultural-trends-the-rise-of-county-travel/
- https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/how-did-chinas-spring-festival-spark-a-record-breaking-surge-in-travel-and-consumption-redefining-the-nations-economic-and-cultural-landscape/