China experienced a significant surge in travel and tourism-related consumption during the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival holiday. Official data released on Tuesday highlighted the country's sustained cultural appeal and robust spending momentum, which drew large crowds to major cities and provinces. This period showcased a vibrant holiday economy and the continued recovery and upgrading of the travel and tourism sector.

According to China's Ministry of Transport, an estimated 657 million inter-provincial trips were recorded over the three-day holiday, averaging 219 million trips per day, reflecting a 3 percent year-on-year increase. Railways played a crucial role in managing this influx, handling 47.1 million passenger trips, up 2.3 percent year-on-year. To accommodate the peak travel demand, over 11,000 passenger trains were scheduled daily, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.

Major cities also reported impressive tourism figures. The capital, Beijing, welcomed 8.21 million visitors, a 5.4 percent year-on-year increase, generating 10.77 billion yuan ($1.49 billion) in tourism revenue, up 6.7 percent. The city's parks alone saw 4.49 million visits, an increase of 14.67 percent from the previous year. Shanghai received 6.48 million visitors, with total tourism-related transactions—covering accommodation, dining, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment—reaching 12.48 billion yuan ($1.72 billion), a 3.3 percent year-on-year rise. Major attractions in Shanghai hosted 2.27 million visitors, and the average hotel occupancy rate reached 59 percent, up one percentage point from a year earlier.

Other provinces also demonstrated strong tourism performance. Central China's Henan Province recorded 15.1 million tourist visits, a 4.7 percent year-on-year increase, and 6.79 billion yuan in tourism revenue, up 5.3 percent, with the local culture and tourism bureau noting steady improvement in both volume and quality. In Southwest China's Sichuan Province, tourism activity was similarly brisk. From May 31 to June 1, more than 550 key tourism enterprises recorded 1.56 billion yuan in total sales, up 7.8 percent year-on-year. Third-party data from UnionPay for Sichuan showed offline consumption reached 36.17 billion yuan, a 6.96 percent increase over last year.

Cross-border travel also saw notable activity. China's immigration officers processed a total of 5.907 million inbound and outbound border crossings during this year's Dragon Boat Festival holiday, averaging 1.969 million per day, which rose by 2.7 percent year-on-year. Sunday saw cross-border travel peak with over 2 million people. Significantly, 231,000 foreign nationals entered China visa-free, representing a substantial 59.4 percent year-on-year increase, the National Immigration Administration said on Tuesday. Border authorities also checked 263,000 vehicles, 10.5 percent more than in the same period last year.

The Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional holiday honoring the ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan and falling on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, has increasingly become an occasion for domestic travel and vibrant cultural activities. Central to these festivities are the thrilling dragon boat races, which have become a major draw for both locals and tourists. Data from travel services provider Qunar showed that searches containing keywords like "dragon boat" and "zongzi" more than doubled compared with the previous month, and bookings for destinations offering folk culture experiences rose more than 40 percent.

A prime example of this cultural fervor was seen in Foshan, Guangdong province, where traditional dragon boat races in the Diejiao water town attracted over 2 million visitors. The event, an intangible cultural heritage in Foshan, is famed for its "fast and furious" races through narrow, winding rivers that prompt rowers to perform dramatic stunts and sudden stops. Among the visitors, one described the atmosphere as "marvelous and unbelievable," with crowds packing riverbanks and even rooftops. During the three-day holiday, from Saturday to Monday, Foshan received over 2 million visitors, marking a 46.11 percent year-on-year increase, and tourism revenue surged to an estimated 1.015 billion yuan ($141 million), up 49.26 percent year-on-year. The competition in Foshan is set to last until June 15, with top teams from across Guangdong and other cities such as Hong Kong and Macao invited to participate.

In recent years, more areas have expanded their Dragon Boat Festival festivities by blending the races with local culture and tourism, creating richer and more immersive experiences for visitors and boosting the local economy. In Haikou, Hainan province, about 40 teams, including those from Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines, competed in international dragon boat racing from Saturday to Sunday, attracting over 219,000 visitors. Fangzhuang village, Fujian province, one of China's largest wood dragon boat manufacturing hubs, received over 200 orders for dragon boats this year, setting a record, including overseas orders from the United States and Japan. Dragon boat traditions extend beyond southern China; this year, northern-style racing returned to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Cangzhou, Hebei province, after nearly 200 years. Cangzhou plans to turn dragon boat shows into a regular tourism product, integrating cultural, social, and economic benefits to boost its cultural tourism appeal.

The robust figures and widespread participation in cultural events during the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival once again demonstrate the vibrancy of China's holiday economy. These trends underscore the continued recovery, upgrading, and dynamic nature of the country's travel and tourism sector, highlighting both its economic impact and deep cultural resonance. Analysts said that this year's tourism figures again demonstrate China's vibrant holiday economy and the continued recovery and upgrading of the travel and tourism sector.