A French couple Tristan and Anouk Masselin visit Yuyuan Garden area in east China's Shanghai, Feb. 1, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Cross-border tourism has emerged as a driving force for the Spring Festival travel market in the Year of the Snake, thanks to expanded visa-free policies, said travel agencies and experts.

A Trip.com report revealed that overall cross-border travel orders increased by 30 percent compared to last year, with a staggering 180 percent growth in inbound ticket orders and over 60 percent growth in inbound hotel bookings.

Data from another travel portal Qunar show that during the Spring Festival period, the number of non-Chinese passport holders booking domestic flights increased by 70 percent compared to last year, with more foreigners exploring second and third-tier cities.

This trend is further confirmed in a set of data released by Hainan Airlines. During the Spring Festival holiday period (Jan 28 — Feb 4), Hainan Airlines transported over 20,000 visits of foreign passengers.

While many foreigners traveled to China, a significant number of Chinese people chose to celebrate the Chinese New Year overseas.

Data from Trip.com reveal that short-haul outbound trips to Japan doubled compared to last year's Spring Festival. Long-haul destinations like the United States, Spain, Italy and France also saw a surge in popularity, with increases of 53 percent, 82 percent, 56 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Looking at bookings on Qunar, Chinese tourists' footprints spanned over 2,100 overseas cities this Spring Festival, marking a 50 percent increase from last year.

Shanghai residents were truly global holidaymakers, with the highest total number of outbound flight tickets purchased during the Spring Festival period among all Chinese cities, showing a 57 percent year-on-year increase.

Notably, as more countries offer visa exemptions and decrease in airfare and hotel prices for outbound travel, coupled with the increasing number of new flight routes, it means that more residents of smaller cities are able to more easily experience the joy of celebrating the Chinese New Year abroad.

"Residents of third-tier and below cities accounted for over 30 percent of the total outbound flight ticket purchases during Spring Festival, more than doubling compared to last year. Cities with the highest growth rates include Zhangjiakou in Hebei province, Binzhou in Shandong province, Ordos in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Yangjiang in Guangdong province, with their residents booking increasing more than twice on a year-on-year basis during Spring Festival," said Xiao Peng, a researcher at Qunar.

"Overall, Thailand remains a top choice for many Chinese travelers during Spring Festival," said Cai Muzi, a researcher at Qunar's big data research institute, citing its proximity, visa-free access, affordability and pleasant weather. However, Japan's popularity surged, overtaking Thailand as the most popular outbound destination during Spring Festival this year.

As Chinese travelers become more experienced with outbound travel, their overseas travel methods have diversified. Trip.com's overseas platform shows a 42 percent increase in overseas car rental orders compared to last year, and a significant 20 percent growth in overseas chartered tours during Spring Festival.

The platform also saw a record high in overseas transfers to airport hauling service orders during the Spring Festival holiday, with a 58 percent year-on-year increase in transaction value. Notably, Japan, South Korea and Thailand experienced even more significant growth during Spring Festival, with Japan's gross merchandise volume increasing by 120 percent compared to 2024.

Zhou Huijie, a researcher with Trip.com, said that the influx of international travelers visiting China for the Chinese New Year and the trendy topics of "UNESCO intangible cultural heritage Spring Festival" on global social media platforms have elevated the Chinese New Year experience, with Chinese people traveling abroad and foreigners coming to China to celebrate the festival.

In addition to popular inbound tourism cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, destinations rich in intangible cultural heritage such as Shijiazhuang, Fuzhou and Xi'an saw respective increases of 50 percent, 52 percent and 97 percent in inbound travel orders compared to last year's Spring Festival.