With China’s unprecedented nine-day Spring Festival holiday (15-23 February) approaching, booking platforms are reporting a sharp divergence in outbound demand, New Beijing News observed on 23 January. Data from Flight Master show Japan-bound flights during the 40-day “chunyun” period are down 43.7 percent year-on-year, with some hubs cancelling more than a third of scheduled departures amid a bilateral diplomatic chill.
Conversely, visa-free or recently visa-relaxed markets are booming:
• Thailand reclaimed the number-one slot on Qunar’s international ticket rankings.
• Turkey, which waived visas for Chinese visitors on 2 January, has seen holiday-period searches spike 320 percent.
• Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island, offering a 30-day exemption, is posting 100 percent+ hotel-booking growth.
• Russia expects Chinese arrivals to rise six-fold on the back of its group-tour visa waiver.
![Lunar New Year Travel Surge Sees Chinese Tourists Pivot from Japan to Visa-Free Destinations]()
For travelers trying to keep pace with these rapid-fire policy shifts, VisaHQ offers a convenient way to verify entry requirements, assemble the right documentation, and submit applications online; Chinese passport holders can explore detailed, country-specific guidance at https://www.visahq.com/china/ and receive alerts whenever regulations change.
Long-haul demand is also spreading. Airbnb says Queenstown, New Zealand is now its most-searched global city for Chinese users, while bespoke European itineraries (e.g., 9-day UK “one-country-deep” tours) are up 90 percent at major operators.
Corporate mobility managers should note that seat shortages on select Japan routes could disrupt duty travel, while relaxed entry rules elsewhere open cost-effective alternatives for incentive trips and exploratory market visits. Travellers should still confirm airline timetables, as capacity remains fluid.
Conversely, visa-free or recently visa-relaxed markets are booming:
• Thailand reclaimed the number-one slot on Qunar’s international ticket rankings.
• Turkey, which waived visas for Chinese visitors on 2 January, has seen holiday-period searches spike 320 percent.
• Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island, offering a 30-day exemption, is posting 100 percent+ hotel-booking growth.
• Russia expects Chinese arrivals to rise six-fold on the back of its group-tour visa waiver.
For travelers trying to keep pace with these rapid-fire policy shifts, VisaHQ offers a convenient way to verify entry requirements, assemble the right documentation, and submit applications online; Chinese passport holders can explore detailed, country-specific guidance at https://www.visahq.com/china/ and receive alerts whenever regulations change.
Long-haul demand is also spreading. Airbnb says Queenstown, New Zealand is now its most-searched global city for Chinese users, while bespoke European itineraries (e.g., 9-day UK “one-country-deep” tours) are up 90 percent at major operators.
Corporate mobility managers should note that seat shortages on select Japan routes could disrupt duty travel, while relaxed entry rules elsewhere open cost-effective alternatives for incentive trips and exploratory market visits. Travellers should still confirm airline timetables, as capacity remains fluid.
