The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT) has launched a month-long nationwide campaign designed to stimulate cultural consumption and inbound tourism during—and immediately after—the 2026 Spring Festival. Running from late January to early March, the initiative bundles some 30,000 events with 360 million yuan (US$51.6 million) in vouchers, ticket discounts and cross-regional travel promotions aimed squarely at both domestic and foreign visitors.
Key provincial destinations—including Beijing, Sichuan, Hainan and Zhejiang—are issuing mobile coupons that overseas tourists can redeem through Alipay+ and international credit-card rails, solving a long-standing pain-point for cash-less payments. Scenic spots such as Mount Emei and West Lake are offering bundled ‘all-access’ passes at up to 40 % off, while duty-free operators in Haikou and Sanya are adding an extra 5 % instant rebate for passport-holding shoppers.
![Spring Festival Campaign Unleashes 360 Million Yuan in Tourism Vouchers for Visitors]()
For overseas visitors eager to capitalise on these promotions but still ironing out entry paperwork, VisaHQ can simplify the process by handling Chinese visa applications end-to-end, offering real-time status updates and expert guidance on the latest policy shifts. Travellers can start their application or check requirements at https://www.visahq.com/china/
The timing dovetails with China’s upgraded digital-services guidelines released earlier this month, which mandate that public-facing apps add English interfaces and accept foreign e-wallets. Mobility practitioners should flag the campaigns to assignees’ families: discounts cover cinemas, museums, and inter-city high-speed-rail combo tickets that make side-trips more affordable during home leave.
Retail analytics firm UnionPay Adviser projects that the voucher blitz could lift holiday-period tourist spending by 9-10 % compared with 2025, helping hotel operators and F&B outlets in tier-two and tier-three cities close the gap with pre-pandemic levels. Companies hosting regional conferences in February or March are advised to double-check venue availability, as subsidised cultural events are taking prime weekend slots.
Key provincial destinations—including Beijing, Sichuan, Hainan and Zhejiang—are issuing mobile coupons that overseas tourists can redeem through Alipay+ and international credit-card rails, solving a long-standing pain-point for cash-less payments. Scenic spots such as Mount Emei and West Lake are offering bundled ‘all-access’ passes at up to 40 % off, while duty-free operators in Haikou and Sanya are adding an extra 5 % instant rebate for passport-holding shoppers.
For overseas visitors eager to capitalise on these promotions but still ironing out entry paperwork, VisaHQ can simplify the process by handling Chinese visa applications end-to-end, offering real-time status updates and expert guidance on the latest policy shifts. Travellers can start their application or check requirements at https://www.visahq.com/china/
The timing dovetails with China’s upgraded digital-services guidelines released earlier this month, which mandate that public-facing apps add English interfaces and accept foreign e-wallets. Mobility practitioners should flag the campaigns to assignees’ families: discounts cover cinemas, museums, and inter-city high-speed-rail combo tickets that make side-trips more affordable during home leave.
Retail analytics firm UnionPay Adviser projects that the voucher blitz could lift holiday-period tourist spending by 9-10 % compared with 2025, helping hotel operators and F&B outlets in tier-two and tier-three cities close the gap with pre-pandemic levels. Companies hosting regional conferences in February or March are advised to double-check venue availability, as subsidised cultural events are taking prime weekend slots.
