BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Although far away from home, Chinese tourist Ye Manning and her family could still feel the familiar Spring Festival vibes on their trip to Japan, as they came across red street banners and shopping window decorations there in tribute to the traditional Chinese holiday.

Attracted by the convenient visa application process and convenient transportation services to this neighboring country, the family traveled to Japanese cities including Tokyo and Osaka, and enjoyed local cuisine, scenic spots and pop culture during the Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year.

Noting the presence of Spring Festival elements in Japan, Ye was quoted in an article by China Youth Daily as saying: "These details not only arouse a sense of belonging for Chinese tourists away from home during the holiday, but also mirror how far the Spring Festival culture has spread around the world."

Like Ye, post-1990 generation youth Zhang Yu also chose to spend the Spring Festival outside China, traveling to the resort island of Phuket in Thailand with his family. As a delightful surprise during this trip, another international tourist hailing from Europe greeted Zhang and wished him a "Happy Spring Festival."

"At that time, I felt this holiday also being celebrated in a foreign country, and that really touched my heart," said Zhang.

Against the backdrop of China's inbound travel boom during the holiday, which saw a proliferation of "China Travel" content shared by international tourists on social media platforms, many Chinese people opted for outbound trips to overseas destinations in pursuit of diversified, cross-cultural experiences for the traditional holiday.

According to China's National Immigration Administration (NIA), during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, border inspection authorities across the country handled over 14 million entries and exits by domestic and international travelers, up 6.3 percent year on year. Among these, about 7.7 million entry-exit trips were made by Chinese mainland residents, up 5 percent year on year.

According to Chinese online travel platform Qunar, Chinese tourists visited more than 2,100 overseas cities during the Spring Festival holiday this year, a surge of 50 percent compared with 2024.

Data from another online travel platform, Trip.com, showed that Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore were among the most popular outbound destinations for Chinese travelers during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday.

In particular, Japan stood out among short-distance overseas travel destinations as total tourism orders for trips to Japan had doubled compared to last year's figure during the holiday season. As for long-haul travel, the most sought-after destinations such as the United States, Spain, Italy and France saw an increase of 53 percent, 82 percent, 56 percent and 50 percent in tourism orders, respectively, according to Trip.com.

"With the recovery of the global tourism market, Chinese tourists continue to expand the radius of their trips during the Spring Festival," said the China Youth Daily article. "From tropical Southeast Asian islands to ancient European towns and bustling North American cities, Chinese travelers can be found everywhere."

This year's Spring Festival, which marked the start of the Year of Snake, was the first since its inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. With the Chinese New Year becoming a festival celebrated worldwide, nearly 20 countries have designated the Spring Festival as an official holiday, while Spring Festival customs are celebrated in almost 200 countries and regions across the globe. Enditem

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