Spring Break Meets Qingming Festival Holiday: "Small Golden Week" Heats Up Tourism Market

Reporter Liang Aonan

This year, “Spring and Autumn Holidays” were included in the Government Work Report for the first time—“Supporting conditions-based local promotion of primary and secondary school Spring and Autumn Holidays, and implementing paid staggered leave for employees.” Currently, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and other regions have clarified pilot programs for Spring Holidays, with many extending the holiday to connect with the Qingming Festival, forming a 6-day “mini golden week,” injecting strong momentum into the tourism market.

According to data disclosed by various online travel platforms, as of March 23, during the period from April 1 to 6 (Spring Holiday + Qingming Festival), searches and bookings for flights, hotels, accommodations, and tickets have significantly surpassed the same period last year, with year-over-year increases approaching double.

Driven by the connection with Spring Holidays, Ctrip Travel data shows that April 1-2 is expected to see the first wave of travel peaks. The 6-day holiday extends travel radius, with domestic long-haul flight bookings over 800 kilometers increasing notably, and inbound and outbound flight search popularity rising over 50% year-over-year.

Qunar Travel data indicates that from April 1 to 6, air travel volume in several popular cities increased by 30% year-over-year. This Qingming holiday features prominent family travel characteristics, with outdoor excursions, flower viewing, and family trips becoming mainstream. It is estimated that flights with passengers under 18 will increase by more than double, and youth visitors to scenic spots will grow over three times.

“Students’ ways of gaining knowledge and improving overall qualities are not limited to classrooms and books but also include visits to museums, libraries, and nature. Therefore, implementing Spring and Autumn Holidays is essentially an improvement of the education system and an enhancement of educational quality,” said Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy, in an interview with Securities Daily. The establishment of Spring and Autumn Holidays helps students better balance study, life, and leisure. Moderately slowing down the pace and relaxing the body and mind is not only beneficial for personal growth but also has positive implications for overall social development and economic growth.

Recently, flight prices have also become more family-friendly. A review of ticket prices shows that flights departing on April 1 are generally cheaper than those on April 3. For popular routes, the lowest price from Chengdu to Sanya on April 1 is about 800 yuan, which is higher than the same period last week but only half of the average ticket price during the May Day holiday, offering a clear cost-performance advantage.

It is worth noting that several cities are attracting visitors through free admission to scenic spots, significantly boosting local hotel bookings. As of March 23, data from Qunar shows that from April 1 to 30, free tickets for Yibin Shunan Bamboo Sea and Xingwen Stone Sea are available nationwide for kindergarten, primary, and secondary school students, as well as in-service teachers, driving local hotel bookings up by 1.6 times year-over-year. Multiple scenic spots in Mianyang, Sichuan, also offer free admission for children and parents, resulting in a 95% year-over-year increase in local hotel reservations.

“The consecutive days off for Spring and Qingming Holidays have generated a significant boost, effectively stimulating domestic demand. Additionally, the staggered arrangement of Spring Holidays helps smooth out peak travel times, allowing tourists to enjoy higher cost-performance travel and a more comfortable experience. Cities actively promoting Spring Holidays can not only attract a large number of visitors from outside but also leverage special policies to attract more local or out-of-town tourists, thereby supporting the local cultural and tourism market,” said Yang Han, researcher at Qunar Big Data Research Institute, in an interview with Securities Daily.

The 6-day holiday also creates favorable conditions for outbound travel. Data from various platforms shows that this Qingming holiday has seen a significant year-over-year increase in outbound travel popularity, with rising flight prices. Top outbound destinations include Seoul, Bangkok, Jeju Island, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bali, Macau, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phuket.

A relevant person from Ctrip Research Institute told Securities Daily that the 6-day continuous break formed by Spring and Qingming Holidays not only effectively releases the medium- and long-distance travel demand of family and parent-child groups but also verifies the feasibility of the “staggered leave + traditional holiday” combination to activate consumption potential. It is expected to stimulate new scenarios of “education + cultural tourism” integration and promote quality upgrades in the cultural tourism supply. In the future, with broader promotion and implementation of Spring and Autumn Holidays, the entire tourism consumption cycle may be reshaped.

(Edited by Wen Jing)