Upgraded Folk Experiences & "Parent-Child+" Surge This year’s Dragon Boat Festival tourism saw three main highlights: an upgrade in traditional cultural experiences, an explosive rise in “parent-child+” spending (thanks to the overlap with Children's Day), and short-distance micro holidays leading the market. Family suites saw a noticeable booking spike compared to last year.

China expects 687 million passenger trips during the Dragon Boat holiday. This is a 7.7% increase from 2024. Self-driving trips will dominate, with over 98% of highway traffic from small vehicles. Most trips will be short-distance. A 6-million-kilometre transport network supports fast travel. Diverse travel scenes drive new consumption trends.

Why Are Young Chinese Travelling More Often? Reasons include escaping pressure, exploring the unknown, self-expression on social media, and turning travel into a lifestyle. Travel is also seen to rebuild social connections and fight existential anxiety. According to a China Trading Desk, 56% of today’s travellers are young people.

Italy Feels Like a Laid-Back Chinese Countryside An increasing number of Chinese tourists say visiting Italy reminds them of a “relaxed Hunan village.” According to China Trading Desk’s Travel Dashboard, 468,000 Chinese travellers are expected to visit Italy over the next six months—a year-on-year increase of 63,000.

Travel Companions A viral topic on Chinese social media highlights the most frustrating travel partners: the “Drama Queen” who makes no plans but complains constantly, the “Chronic Complainer” who vents at every issue, and the “Negative Loner” who avoids group activities and kills the vibe.

Spain Declares National Emergency On April 28, a massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal. Spain has initiated a level-three national emergency response. Despite disruptions, China Trading Desk forecasts 160,000 Chinese tourists to visit Spain in the next three months, up 55% YoY.

Plan a €1000 Europe Trip Using AI By leveraging AI to track low-cost airline deals, combining red-eye flights and multi-stopover routes, choosing Couchsurfing or hostel dorms, using night buses, DIY visa applications, and FlixBus for budget transport, travellers can craft extremely affordable Eastern Europe itineraries. Fliggy’s AI now supports real-time low-price alerts and route generation.

Fliggy Travel released its new “AI Ask” tool, promoting it as more than a trip planner—a route customiser, budgeting assistant, travel advisor, hotel consultant, and more. “You can ask it anything,” says Fliggy, showcasing the growing intersection of AI and travel platforms.

Risk Alert for Chinese Tourists Traveling to the U.S. Due to escalating tensions in China-U.S. trade relations and rising safety concerns within the U.S., the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has advised Chinese citizens to carefully assess risks before travelling to the United States. According to China Trading Desk’s forecast, approximately 819,000 Chinese visitors are expected to travel to the U.S. in the next six months.