AnaerialdronephototakenonFeb.14,2024showstouristswatchingafolkartparadeinChongchuanDistrictofNantongCity,eastChina'sJiangsuProvince.MoreChinesepeoplenowadayschoosetogoonajourneyduringtheSpringFestivaltoexperiencedifferentculturesandlunarnewyearatmosphere.(PhotobyXuCongjun/Xinhua)BEIJING,Feb.17(Xinhua)--FortheChinesepeople,theeternalthemeoftheSpringFestival,orChineseNewYear,remainsfamilyreunion,yetanincreasingnumberofChinesearechoosingtointegratetravelintotheirholidaytraditions.ThechangewasseenthisyearastheSpringFestivalholidayspannedeightdays--possiblyninewithaflexibleone-daypaidleave--surpassingtheusualone-weekholidayinpreviousyears.AccordingtodatareleasedSaturdaybyChinesetravelwebsiteMafengwo,MondayandTuesdaysawpeaktravelactivity."WemadearandomdecisiontodrivetothehistoriccityofDatong(innorthernChina)onMondaybutweresurprisedtoseealargenumberoftourists.Localhotelchainsarealmostalwaysfull,andrestaurantsalmostalwayshaveawaitingline,"saidatouristsurnamedLi.NEWTRENDSINDOMESTICTOURISMAccordingtoMafengwo,familytravelaccountedfor45percentofalltripsduringtheholiday,reflectingatrendthatyoungpeoplereturnhomeforfamilyreunionsbeforeembarkingontripswiththeirfamilies,takingadvantageoftheextendedholidayperiod.Beijing,Xi'anandtheGuangdong-HongKong-MacaoGreaterBayAreawereamongthemostpopulartouristdestinations,saidMafengwo,addingthatvisitingmuseums,grottoes,templesandotherhistoricalandculturalplaceswasanotherhighlightofthisyear'sSpringFestivaltravelaftertemplefairsandfolkactivities.AreportbytravelportalTuniu.comshowedanemergingtrendforcross-regionaltravelbetweenthenorthernandsouthernpartsofthecountryduringtheholiday.Harbin,capitalofnortheasternHeilongjiangProvince,maintaineditsgrowingpopularityamongpeoplefromtheSouthwhoareeagertoexploreanice-and-snowworld,whiletropicalcitiessuchasSanya,Xishuangbanna,andBeihairemainedfavoreddestinationsfornorthlandersseekingwintergetaways.SURGINGOUTBOUNDTOURISMDatafrommultipleonlinetravelplatformsshowedthatonthefirstdayoftheeight-dayholiday,outboundtravelbookingsalreadysurpassedthe2019figure,withSoutheastAsiancountries,particularlythosewithvisa-freepoliciesforChinesenationals,emergingasred-hotdestinations.FromFeb.10to13,bookingsforhotelsinBangkoktripledyearonyear,whilereservationsforSingaporeanhotelsreportedastunninggrowthof800percent,accordingtothetravelplatformLY.com.SeveralEuropeandestinationshaveintroduceduniquestrategiestoattractChinesetourists.AMichelin-starredrestaurantindowntownLondonhaslaunchedamenuspeciallydesignedfortheYearoftheLoong(Dragon),whilearailwayforthewell-knownscenicspotJungfrauinSwitzerlandhasbeendecoratedwithChineseelementstogreetChinesetouristsbetweenFeb.8and20.Withasubstantialriseinoutboundtourism,thisholidayisprojectedtoseeadailyportclearanceof1.8millionpeoplenationwide,morethantriplethatofthepreviousyearandnearlyreachingthelevelof2019,accordingtotheNationalImmigrationAdministration.AccordingtoamarketforecastbyCtrip,aleadingtravelplatforminChina,theeight-dayholidaywouldmarkthecountry'sfirsttravelrushoftheyear,withanotableincreaseininternationaltravelbeingoneofthehighlights."DestinationsinSoutheastAsiahavecontinuedtogaintractionasmanyinChinaoptedfortheregionforanescapefromthewinterseason,"saidGaoTao,fromTuniu."Thetourismindustryhasgonethrougharoughpatchinthepastthreeyearsduetothepandemic.Butitisnowpoisedforagrowthspurt,particularlyinoutboundtourism."In2023,Chinasawitsoutboundpassengertripsexceed87million,andthisfigureisprojectedtoreach130millionin2024,accordingtoapaperpublishedbytheChinaTourismAcademy.123456NextPageLastPage61Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.