The longest Chinese New Year holiday in history ends, with foreign tourists flocking to Beijing for the holiday
Chinese New Year flavor, successful circle of fans, global tourists
This year's Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year flavor has successfully "won fans" among global tourists, and foreign guests have also "gathered" in China to celebrate the New Year. Data shows that during the Spring Festival of 2026, the number of passengers using non Chinese passports to book domestic flights increased by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year.
The popularity of inbound tourism continues to rise, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities becoming the most popular destinations for foreign tourists. According to Fliggy data, during this year's Spring Festival holiday, ticket orders in Beijing increased by 136% year-on-year, hotel room nights increased by over 60% year-on-year, and tour bookings increased by 42% year-on-year.
Yesterday, the "longest" Spring Festival holiday in history came to a successful conclusion amidst a strong festive atmosphere. The rich experience of intangible cultural heritage and strong traditional customs have attracted a large number of foreign tourists to come here. In Beijing, they went deep into hutongs, visited intangible cultural heritage venues, and punched in famous scenic spots to immerse themselves in the unique charm of Chinese Spring Festival. With its profound cultural heritage, rich cultural and tourism products, and thoughtful service guarantees, Beijing has become a popular choice for foreign tourists to experience the Chinese New Year, injecting continuous vitality into the inbound tourism market.
Experience the beauty of Beijing from the Great Wall to the hutongs in all directions
During the 2026 Spring Festival, tourists from Spain, Peru, Brazil and other countries will deeply explore Beijing and experience the authentic Chinese New Year. In addition to visiting classic landmarks such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, foreign tourists also enter hutongs and intangible cultural heritage venues to immerse themselves in the fireworks and rich cultural heritage of old Beijing.
On February 13th, the Beijing Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Center in Shajing Hutong, Dongcheng District, was bustling with activity. This late Qing Dynasty courtyard style experience base showcases Chinese cultural elements everywhere. Tourists from multiple countries can check in at the Tu Er Ye themed movie wall here, participate in intangible cultural heritage experiences such as making dumplings, writing the word 'fu', playing the sugar figurine, and playing the ancient qin. When the chef talked about how dumplings were created by Zhang Zhongjing, the "medical saint" of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and had a history of more than 1800 years, two Spanish girls were surprised. Tourists from various countries sat together to learn how to roll and make dumplings, blending into the joyful atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
Peruvian tourist Carmen deliberately experienced calligraphy to write the word "fu" and mischievously wrote the English word "luck" to refer to it as "fu" After visiting the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Summer Palace, Brazilian tourist John exclaimed that China has a profound cultural heritage and learned simple Chinese words such as "hello" and "thank you" Spanish tourist Alfonso was immersed in the beauty and cuisine of Beijing. Under the guidance of his Guqin teacher, he played a few notes and praised the architectural decoration of the quadrangle courtyard. "This courtyard is very beautiful, and the decoration of the buildings and rooms surprised me!" Alfonso used several "Amazing!" to describe his experience in Beijing.
Tourists from Australia venture deep into Houhai Hutong to experience the life of old Beijing. In the Hutong in the morning, the scene of the chef setting up a big pot to shake Yuanxiao (Filled round balls made of glutinous rice-flour for Lantern Festival) attracted tourists to take pictures; On the banks of the Yinding Bridge, three wheelers dressed in matching cardigans warmly greet each other in English. The red shed and yellow bell of the carriage interweave with the smoke and fire of the hutongs, outlining the vivid morning scenery of Beijing and allowing tourists to experience the human warmth of old Beijing up close.
Ten thousand Australian tourists will come to Beijing for tourism in batches this year
On the morning of February 20, 2026 (the fourth day of the Lunar New Year), the welcome ceremony for the "First Australian Tour of Beijing" for the 2026 Spring Festival was held at the Drum Tower at the northern end of Beijing's central axis. The visit of the first batch of 60 Australian tourists has opened the prelude for tens of thousands of Australians to visit Beijing in batches, injecting strong momentum into the inbound tourism market in Beijing in 2026.
In the morning of that day, the red wall at the foot of the Drum Tower was filled with blessings, and drum music was playing. A highly Chinese style Tai Chi performance was performed here. The combination of strength and softness has attracted Australian tourists to stop and learn, immersing themselves in the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture. Guo Huaigang, Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, delivered New Year's greetings to Australian tourists on site: "The millennium bells and drums of the Bell and Drum Tower travel through time, sounding a new chapter of friendship between China and Australia. Beijing is inviting global tourists to appreciate the grandeur and magnificence of the central axis and taste the human warmth of the old Beijing hutongs with the most open attitude and high-quality service
Tourists received the Spring Festival gift package of the Year of the Horse from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, which contains not only the blessing words, Chinese knots, Chinese lanterns, Tomatoes on sticks and other New Year gifts full of Beijing flavor and New Year flavor, but also the five lists of inbound tours in Beijing during the Spring Festival of the Horse, 10 boutique routes of inbound tours in Beijing during the Spring Festival, the Hotel Manual Living in Beijing and the departure tax rebate guide. "Beijing is warm, and we feel the hospitality of the Chinese people!" said the tourist from Melbourne, Australia, which is his first time to China with his wife Linda. Only then can I have a more real feeling about the Chinese New Year, "Linda said.
The 'Australian Ten Thousand People Tour Beijing' event will be launched in batches, allowing more Australian tourists to deeply experience Beijing's central axis culture, royal gardens, hutong style and other characteristic cultural and tourism resources. Zhang Kexiong, assistant general manager of China Travel Service, introduced that the travel routes of Australian tourists not only include traditional attractions such as the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Great Wall, and Forbidden City, but also add Hu Tong's tour, tasting Beijing cuisine in courtyard houses and other highly popular activities.
Top Five New Rankings for Beijing Inbound Tourism during the Spring Festival
According to Zheng Fang, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, during this year's Spring Festival, Beijing welcomed a large number of inbound tourists, covering both traditional markets such as Europe and America, as well as emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Russia. In order to allow foreign tourists to better experience Beijing culture and Chinese culture, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism has planned in advance and launched a series of characteristic cultural and tourism products and routes. We have specially launched the 'Top 5 Must Visit Rankings for Inbound Tourists' and 10 boutique inbound travel routes
During the Spring Festival, Beijing's top products for inbound tourism include temple fairs, lantern festivals, and garden fairs. There are both traditional Longtan, Ditan, and Changdian temple fairs, as well as new content such as technology temple fairs, pear garden temple fairs, and art temple fairs, "Zheng Fang said. These information have been delivered to overseas tourists in advance through overseas cooperation channels.
The deep integration of intangible cultural heritage and tourism is also a major highlight of Beijing's tourism market during this year's Spring Festival. Zheng Fang introduced that the newly launched "Beijing Colorful Intangible Cultural Heritage Tour" has selected more than 30 intangible cultural heritage experience points throughout the city, including themes such as "Central Axis Scenery", "Hutong Fun", and "Yanjing Skills". The route will organically integrate exquisite traditional skills, vivid folk customs, and profound cultural connotations, and transform them into a new cultural experience that is observable, playable, savorable, and memorable. It will become a new destination for Chinese and foreign tourists to experience intangible cultural heritage during the Spring Festival! "Zheng Fang said that intangible cultural heritage is not only the memory of the city, but also a cultural language that can be spread, experienced, and win-win. She hopes that through immersive intangible cultural heritage experience activities, foreign friends can feel the craftsmanship and inheritance of Chinese culture, and leave profound New Year memories.
Beijing accelerates towards becoming the 'preferred destination' for inbound tourism
Taking photos with a DSLR camera on Qianmen Street, posing for a handsome pose at Badaling Great Wall, and taking rides on amusement facilities at Beijing Universal Resort… Nowadays, you can see the figures of inbound tourists everywhere walking through the streets and alleys of Beijing. In the past two years, the popularity of inbound tourism in Beijing has continued to rise, and 2025 has become a year of great leap for the development of Beijing's cultural and tourism industry. According to data from the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the city will receive a total of 5.48 million inbound tourists in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 39%; The tourism expenditure reached 50.56 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.7%, both of which reached historical highs, injecting strong cultural and tourism momentum into the construction of Beijing's international exchange center.
Behind a series of impressive data is Beijing's dual efforts in convenient entry services and diversified product systems: the "Beijing Service" stations at the capital and Daxing airports have served over 1.47 million passengers, providing thoughtful protection for inbound tourists; The design of tourism routes is deeply aligned with customer demand, gradually building a product matrix that covers multiple groups and scenarios. With the continuous improvement of favorable entry measures and the continuous enrichment of product matrix, Beijing is accelerating its move towards becoming the "preferred destination for inbound tourism in China".
During the Spring Festival, major entry and exit ports across the country experienced a peak in two-way passenger flow. With the convenience of entry policies and the strong appeal of the Chinese New Year, tourists from multiple countries come to China to experience the authentic Chinese New Year. Various regions have launched intensive cultural and tourism activities such as ice and snow feasts, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and folk gatherings. The border inspection department at the port optimizes customs clearance services, allowing inbound tourists to experience the hot and lively atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
Customized products activate the huge potential of inbound tourism
2026 is a crucial year for Beijing to become a global tourist destination and the "preferred destination for inbound tourism in China". Beijing will continue to focus on three aspects: product refinement, service internationalization, and diversified promotion, to promote the development of inbound tourism.
Beijing will carry out precision marketing, relying on core resources such as the application for World Heritage status along the central axis and the inheritance of Beijing style culture, to launch customized tourism products and routes for different customer markets. Zheng Fang introduced that the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism will launch "one place, one policy" tourism products for key source countries, and launch weekend Beijing inbound tourism products and routes for neighboring countries. She gave an example, saying, "For example, for Korean tourists, we plan to launch a 48 hour weekend tour of Beijing, which will connect the world cultural heritage and its surrounding new scene experiences. In addition, the route also includes technology tours and industrial tours, allowing foreign tourists to not only experience Beijing's traditional culture but also new technological products.
Beijing will continue to optimize its tourism facilitation services, by building intelligent service platforms, promoting international consumption scenarios in key business districts, and adding centralized refund points for outbound tax refunds. These measures will make shopping and transportation more convenient for international tourists in Beijing, achieving a dual enhancement of economic benefits and cultural influence for inbound tourism. At the same time, Beijing will continue to deepen cooperation with cultural and tourism enterprises such as China Travel Service, expand the global customer market, and open up the entire chain of "air channels" and "ground services" for international tourism exchanges, allowing more international tourists to travel to Beijing.
In addition, Beijing will host several important international events, including the Beijing Inbound Tourism Conference in mid June, the Xiangshan Summit of the World Tourism Cities Federation, and the Beijing International Cultural and Tourism Consumption Expo, which will attract global attention through conferences.
Reporter Zhao Tingting