The New Year holiday marked a vibrant start to 2025 for China's economy, showcasing remarkable growth in tourism, consumer spending, and transportation sectors.
Cross-border trips experienced a significant surge of 13.7 percent year on year, totaling over 1.8 million passenger journeys during the holiday period, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA). Of these, 869,000 trips were made by residents of the Chinese mainland, reflecting an 11.1 percent increase compared to the previous year. Foreign travelers contributed 185,000 trips, marking a substantial 33.6 percent rise.
Outbound tourism continues its upward trajectory since 2023. Data from Fliggy revealed that by the early morning of January 1, 2025, outbound tourism bookings had climbed nearly 70 percent year on year. The relaxation of China's visa-free policy from December 31, 2024, to January 1, 2025, played a pivotal role in this growth. Inbound tourism bookings also soared exponentially, with reservations from neighboring countries like South Korea and Japan jumping by 215 percent and 145 percent respectively on the Ctrip platform, as reported by The Paper.
In addition to tourism, China's New Year's Day box office performance was impressive, surpassing 3 billion yuan ($411 million), according to box office data tracker Dengta. Top-grossing films included \"Sheep Without a Shepherd 3,\" \"Big World,\" and \"Honey Money Phony,\" attracting large audiences and contributing to the economic boost.
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China's 2025 New Year holiday sees boost in spending, travel
cgtn.com
