Thailand has succeeded.

Chinese tourists take photos on an overpass in Bangkok in 2024. Photo: Reuters .

Lunar New Year is one of the longest holidays in China. This year, the holiday lasts nine days, starting from February 15th, one day longer than usual.

According to Reuters , millions of Chinese traditionally return to their hometowns to reunite with family during this time, leading to a surge in spending at shops, cinemas, and restaurants.

Chinese officials predict that the total number of trips during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush could reach a record 9.5 billion, up from 9.02 billion last year. Authorities expect the longer holiday to encourage people to increase domestic or international travel .

According to Zhou Weihong, a representative of Spring Tour (Shanghai), a travel agency affiliated with the low-cost airline Spring Airlines, Thailand has regained its position as a top overseas destination thanks to its warm climate, while much of China is still in its cold winter season.

Additionally, on the Spring Tour platform, bookings to Russia have more than doubled compared to last year, as have trips to Northern Europe. Besides Thailand and Russia, other prominent destinations include Australia and South Korea .

Tourists walk along the platform next to a train at Beijing train station (China) during the peak of the Lunar New Year holiday, February 12. Photo: Reuters.

Data from travel marketing firm Sojern also shows a strong recovery in international travel demand among Chinese consumers. Outbound flight bookings increased by 21% year-on-year, while hotel bookings rose by 23%.

Popular destinations are primarily short regional flights such as Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and South Korea.

Notably, bookings to the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region increased by 102%, while trips to the US and Canada increased by 91%, indicating a strong recovery in demand for long-haul flights, particularly to Europe.

Lina Ang, Managing Director of International Real Estate at Sojern, noted that the Lunar New Year is a period of vibrant regional tourism, with Chinese tourists becoming increasingly selective when making bookings.

Chinese tourists relax in a pedestrian zone in the Ginza district of Tokyo, Japan, in 2019. Photo: Bloomberg.

However, not all markets are seeing positive signals. Prolonged political tensions with Japan are diminishing the destination's appeal to Chinese tourists – who were once a top choice.

Flight data for 2026 shows a sharp decline in passenger numbers to Japan amid strained bilateral relations and China issuing safety warnings to its citizens. Many airlines have expanded their refund and ticket exchange policies for flights to Japan.

According to travel data provider Flight Master, the number of flights between China and Japan decreased by 49.2% in the week beginning February compared to the same period last year.

In addition, 58 routes that were operated during last year's Spring Festival travel season have been completely canceled. Previously, Trip.com had ranked Japan among the most popular international destinations, along with Thailand and several regional markets.