The winter vacation in mainland China in 2019 runs from January 21 to February 17, totaling 28 days, while the Spring Festival golden week is from February 4 to 10, right in the middle of the vacation period. This results in “one large and two smaller” travel peaks in 2019.
Industry insiders in mainland China’s tourism sector point out that, aside from the traditional main peak of travel during the Spring Festival, which falls on February 5–6 (the first and second days of the Lunar New Year), some parents with more flexible schedules are planning “winter vacation + Spring Festival” trips as staggered family travel itineraries—either traveling just before the holiday or delaying their trip to the mid-to-late period of the Spring Festival—to avoid the crowds and peak prices. It is expected that these two secondary travel peaks, mainly driven by families with children, will occur on January 30–31 (the 25th–26th days of the lunar year) and February 8–9 (the 4th–5th days of the Lunar New Year).
“Long-haul outbound trips are mainly to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Europe, and South America. These destinations require longer visa processing times and have earlier registration deadlines. For instance, the final registration deadline for the United States and Canada is January 8, while for Australia and New Zealand it is January 17.”
Zheng Nianjun, general manager of China’s Nanhu International Travel Agency, stated that the registration deadline for long-haul outbound trips during the Spring Festival typically falls within about three days before or after the start of school holidays each year. In 2019, the most popular departure dates for the Spring Festival are from February 1 (27th day of the lunar year) to February 5 (1st day of the Lunar New Year). Looking at the outbound travel routes chosen by travelers this year, the 12-day option was the most selected, with the overall duration of trips being two days longer than during the same period last year.