Tongcheng Travel (00780): 6-day "mini golden week" heats up spring travel. The popularity of parent-child travel and study tours has increased by over 100% year-on-year.

In the spring of 2026, the tourism market experienced a wonderful "chemical reaction". With the implementation of spring breaks in primary and secondary schools in many places for the first time, coinciding with the Qingming Festival, a 6-day "mini golden week" was born, injecting new vitality into the spring tourism market. On April 6th, TONGCHENGTRAVEL (00780) released the "2026 Spring Break and Qingming Holiday Travel Summary Report" (referred to as the Report), showing that during the Qingming holiday from April 4th to 6th, traditional countryside tours, flower viewing tours, and mountain climbing tours remained the most popular spring themes. The vigorous demand for travel drove the prosperity of the surrounding tourism market, with a 60% increase in high-quality hotel bookings and a 90% increase in bookings for guesthouses offering spring-exclusive activities. Camping experiences close to nature and immersive Hanfu travel photography were also highly favored, with a 230% increase in bookings for related products. The most significant change came from the 6-day consecutive holiday formed by the combination of "spring break+Qingming". According to the Report, overall travel product bookings increased nearly twice from April 1st to 6th, with theme parks, cultural and historical sites, and zoos seeing over a 120% increase in bookings. The ample time made long-distance trips possible, with an 80% increase in bookings for flights over 800 kilometers for parent-child families and a 45% increase in international travel bookings year-on-year. A wave of "educational travel" focused on family units and knowledge acquisition emerged clearly this spring. The release of the consecutive holidays effect: urban travel during spring break increased by 130%, and parent-child long-distance travel orders doubled During the Qingming holiday, the blend of ancestor worship, outings, and suburban leisure activities led to a continuous rise in domestic tourism. Data from the Report shows that popular domestic destinations during the Spring Break and Qingming period included Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing, and Xi'an. However, the real market reshaping factor was the 6-day mini holiday formed by "spring break+Qingming". According to the Report, parent-child long-distance travel bookings doubled during the Spring Break and Qingming period, with families accounting for forty percent of holiday bookings, a nearly 20-percentage-point increase year-on-year. Among domestic airline passengers, the number of passengers under 18 increased by 47%, making children the "protagonists" of this holiday. The Report shows that the spring break policy had a significant stimulating effect on travel demand. In areas where spring breaks were in effect, domestic travel bookings overall increased by an average of 130%, exceeding the national average increase by 30 percentage points. In terms of accommodation bookings, the destinations with the highest increase in hotel booking popularity during the Spring Break and Qingming period included Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Anhui, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hainan, and Zhejiang, most of which were covered by the spring break policy. The 6-day ample holiday extended the family travel radius significantly and changed the flow of visitors during Qingming. Cities that were previously "out of reach" due to the 3-day holiday saw a significant increase in tourism during Qingming. TONGCHENGTRAVEL data shows that parent-child long-distance travel bookings doubled, and bookings for flights over 800 kilometers increased by 80%. Brand-name hotels also confirmed this trend, with Wanda Hotels and Resorts' Qingming holiday bookings increasing by 34%, led by destinations like Dali, Tengchong, and Xishuangbanna. Meanwhile, the self-driving tour market saw a significant increase, with a 170% increase in car rental inquiries and a more than 65% increase in orders for rentals more than 3 days long. SUV models, with their spacious and comfortable interiors, were particularly favored by "family travelers," leading to a "migration of families on wheels." Families transform into "walking classrooms": Parent-child study tour orders double, multi-generational travel increases by 160% During this "spring break+Qingming," the decision-making power of travel took an interesting turn. When children have their own exclusive holiday, they naturally become the initiators and core of family travel "projects." Families become a "learning organization" that explores and experiences specific interests. According to TONGCHENG data, parent-child study tour orders doubled during the Spring Break and Qingming period. The "research topics" of this "organization" have profoundly reshaped the destination list nationwide. Cities like Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing, and Chengdu, with top-tier museums, science centers, or popular IPs, have become the hottest "study bases." Cities like Nanjing and Chengdu are showing an interesting "two-way prosperity": they are not only strong source markets but also attract "like-minded families" from all over the country due to unique IPs like Hongshan Zoo and the Panda Base for academic exchange. Deep experiences have changed from "electives" to "required courses". Over half of the families visiting Yunnan include activities like rainforest exploration, traditional tea-making workshops, or intangible cultural heritage experiences in their itineraries. In Jingdezhen, the ceramic art experience workshops were fully booked even with two additional courses opened during the Qingming holiday; in Anji, the "Tea Culture Day Course" integrating tea picking, roasting, and tasting required bookings two weeks in advance. This interest-driven "research-based travel" has led to more scenes of multi-generational travel. According to the Report, during this year's Qingming holiday, family travel orders including three generations increased by over 160%. Ms. Zhao, who works in Shenzhen, planned a "Taste of Cantonese Cuisine" family trip this year, taking her parents and children from dim sum restaurants in Guangzhou to private kitchens in Shunde, and then to preserved meat workshops in Zhongshan for a three-generation gourmet cultural experience. A group of "dark horse" destinations have also stood out due to their unique "knowledge scarcity". Hainan Wenchang, Guangxi Chongzuo, Shanxi Jinzhong, Yunnan Pu'er, and Gansu Zhangye have attracted families seeking unique experiences and knowledge due to their irreplaceable in-depth knowledge settings. At the same time, a batch of scenic spots focusing on deep experiences and parent-child interactions have seen a peak in visitor flow. In Hainan, Yalong Bay Tropical Rainforest saw a 20% increase in visitors during the spring break period with activities like parent-child handcrafting; in Suzhou, Qingdian Luzhi Scenic Area surged in visitors through initiatives like "intangible cultural heritage market + free children's tickets during spring break," boosting boat tours and guesthouse consumption significantly. At the same time, the 6-day holiday has made "taking children abroad" more manageable. In addition to classic choices like Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, destinations with rich ecological experiences and mature resort facilities like Elephant Island in Thailand and Malaysia's Johor Bahru, home to LEGOLAND, are increasingly favored by families seeking differentiated experiences. Parents' consumption logic has also evolved to seek "dual satisfaction." They want their children to gain knowledge through professional explanations, independent study camps, etc., while also seeking high-quality resort hotels and destination-specific experiences for a "stress-free family vacation." This has led to a surge in sales of "parent-child-friendly resorts" and combined products featuring "day camps + self-guided tours." Hot cross-border mobility: Hotel bookings from Hong Kong to the north have increased by eight times year-on-year, international youth embark on an "Eastern field study" The Qingming Festival carries the tradition of ancestral worship and tomb-sweeping. This year, with the Qingming Festival coinciding with the overseas Easter holiday to form a 5-day long weekend, many Hong Kong residents, after paying respects to their ancestors, have more time to extend their journey to the mainland. A wave of leisure vacations from the north to the south emerged simultaneously at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and major airports. Data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL's international platform HopeGoo shows that ticket bookings to mainland China from Hong Kong during the holiday surged by nearly four times year-on-year, while hotel bookings saw an eight-fold increase in popularity. Their trips to the north have evolved into carefully planned "cross-border quality lifestyle proposals," shifting their focus from traditional "shopping" to "leisure living" and "in-depth experiences." The convenience of the "one-hour living circle" in the Greater Bay Area has led to high-frequency "same-day return" consumer trips to cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Foshan; at the same time, their consumption radius has significantly extended to more remote cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Changsha, and Sanya, which offer popular choices for long-distance travel. These destinations, blending local culture with humanistic exploration, mind-body healing, and in-depth experiential projects, have become the core driver attracting Hong Kong residents northwards and enhancing the quality of their trips. In response, mainland residents' interest in traveling to Hong Kong has also increased, with high-quality hotel bookings during the holiday seeing nearly a thirty percent year-on-year increase, displaying a distinct combination of "special experiences + stylish shopping." Cultural landmarks like the Hong Kong Palace Museum, M+ Museum, and Opera Center, as well as various design hotels and concept stores, have become emerging hotspots attracting young mainland visitors, creating a B2B market that features "quality upgrades" and "mutual complementarity". In addition, while Chinese families delve into "learning topics" domestically, a group of young "international course delegates" have arrived in China during the spring break and Easter holidays to conduct their "Eastern field studies." HopeGoo data shows that the total volume of inbound tourism-related orders during the 2026 Qingming holiday increased by over 70% year-on-year. These young groups from Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, as well as Europe and America, have distinct travel themes and focus on in-depth experiences centered around "specific cultural or natural subjects." For example, experiencing the aesthetics of Jiangnan gardens, learning Chinese martial arts or calligraphy, and studying Chinese tea culture and tea-making techniques have become popular choices. Their travel style is closer to "short-term study tours": staying longer, preferring boutique homestays or cultural guesthouses that allow them to participate in local life, and having a strong demand for small-group tours and study products with professional explanations and workshops. This marks a shift of Chinese inbound tourism from "scenic consumption" to "knowledge and culture consumption." Looking ahead to May Day: Search popularity increases by over 320%, savvy travelers embark on "value exploration" The travel trend sparked by the Qingming holiday has set a positive tone for the spring tourism market and suggests that the upcoming May Day holiday is likely to continue and amplify this trend. Observation data from TONGCHENGTRAVEL's platform shows that the popularity of the Qingming holiday has created a "ripple effect," with search popularity for travel products during the May Day holiday (April 30th to May 4th) increasing by over 320% compared to the Qingming period. It is worth noting that due to expectations of an increase in airline fuel surcharges, many travelers have started to stock up on tickets for the May Day period in advance to lock in their travel costs, further boosting the booking popularity for the May Day holiday. Popular domestic "ticket hoarding" destinations are still concentrated in key cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, while popular international destinations include Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Additionally, under visa-free policies and unique resources, destinations like Georgia, Azerbaijan, Serbia, and Uzbekistan have seen a significant increase in popularity. Faced with the general increase in hotel prices and the expected "crowds" during the May Day period, the ability to explore "value" has become a key skill for travelers, with the popularity of "reverse tourism" continuing to rise. Many families seeking high-quality experiences at reasonable prices are also turning to emerging destinations like Wanning, Tianshui, Jingdezhen, and Mangshi, which offer more affordable and culturally unique experiences in the yet-to-be-commercialized "value gaps," completing deep experiences and explorations. Meanwhile, trip planning with the help of AI and other intelligent tools has become a common choice among tourists. The TONGCHENG Research Institute believes that the 2026 Qingming holiday has confirmed the enormous potential of the combined model of "off-peak vacation + traditional holiday" in stimulating consumption. As tourists shift from "sightseeing and ticking off lists" to "acquiring knowledge" and as families become "walking classrooms," this not only promotes the upgrading of the cultural tourism industry from "resource supply" to "content creation" but also further unleashes the stimulating effect of holiday economy on local consumption and industrial transformation, providing a vivid example for sustainable tourism development.