Travel for the Lunar New Year Becomes a New Trend "Family by Your Side, Anywhere Feels Like Home"

Securities Times Reporter Wu Shun

“Traveling the world with family” has become one of the most touching scenes this Spring Festival.

In the past, the peak of the Spring Festival travel rush usually occurred a few days before New Year’s Eve, and by New Year’s Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year, there were rarely any passengers on high-speed trains. But this year, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Securities Times reporter found that Shenzhen North Station was crowded early in the morning, and the G2976 train I took was fully booked.

The G2976 high-speed train departs from Shenzhen and ends in Dali, a famous tourist destination by Erhai Lake. Although it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, most passengers in the carriage I was in were traveling to Dali with their wives, children, and parents. Xiao Liu’s family, sitting next to mine, said about traveling with his parents and children for the holiday: “We’re just going to Dali for the New Year. Going back to our hometown every year isn’t that interesting. My parents also have to handle social obligations, so the New Year feels like a battle. The holiday atmosphere is also fading, so it’s better to take this break to travel with family, see the outside world, relax, and enjoy ourselves.”

This year, Dali Ancient Town and Erhai Lake were extremely popular, with many roads often congested for hours. At night, traffic jams in Dali Ancient Town became commonplace, with tourists bustling between shopping centers, restaurants, and bars, creating a lively scene.

By Erhai Lake, renting shared electric bikes or bicycles has become the preferred way for most people to explore. Visitors can stop at beautiful lakeside spots to take photos and check in freely.

The reporter also noticed that in recent years, the domestic pet market has been booming, with many people traveling with their pets. Xiao Li, a tourist from Chengdu, drove over 800 kilometers just to travel the world with her four “furry kids,” three of whom are black French Bulldogs.

In fact, Xiao Liu’s family and most passengers on the G2976 train are a microcosm of this new trend of celebrating the Lunar New Year through travel. Unlike the traditional “yearning to return home,” more and more young people are breaking the old notion that “you must go back to your hometown for the Spring Festival,” choosing to travel with parents and children to start the new year.

From the warm beaches of Hainan to the icy ski resorts in the Northeast, from culturally rich ancient towns to exotic overseas destinations, family trips are everywhere. “Traveling the world with family” has become one of the most touching scenes this Spring Festival. This new way of celebrating—“reunion without returning home, traveling with loved ones”—is quietly reshaping the traditional festival, becoming a new choice for young people to show filial piety and enjoy family reunions. Behind this trend are profound changes in Chinese social consumption habits and lifestyles.

Against this backdrop, tourism data across various regions is also lively. For example, according to the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, on February 20, 220 scenic spots rated above 4A received 3.2887 million visitors, a 10.45% increase year-on-year. The top three attractions in visitor numbers were Lijiang Old Town, Dali Old Town, and Kunming Guandu Ancient Town.

The rise of traveling during the New Year is not accidental but the inevitable result of multiple overlapping trends. First, the diversification of reunion scenarios. Traditionally, family reunions took place under the eaves of the old house, but now young people extend the reunion space to mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, no longer insisting on “returning to the place of birth,” but emphasizing “family nearby, anywhere is New Year.” Second, the upgrading of consumption quality. As residents’ incomes increase, young people’s consumption concepts have shifted from “material satisfaction” to “spiritual enjoyment.” Spring Festival spending has evolved from traditional shopping and feasts to pursuing experiences and enjoying life. Additionally, improved travel infrastructure has provided strong support for traveling during the holiday. In recent years, China’s transportation infrastructure has been continuously improved, with an extensive high-speed rail network, accelerated development of international routes, and greatly enhanced convenience for domestic and international travel.

This new trend of young people traveling with their families during the Spring Festival not only reshapes the festival’s celebration but also injects new vitality into the cultural and tourism industry. In the future, as cultural tourism products continue to innovate and travel conditions keep improving, traveling during the New Year will become an increasingly common way to celebrate. Behind this mode is young people’s emphasis on family bonds and pursuit of quality life, reflecting the progress of Chinese society and improvements in people’s livelihoods.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords: Travel