Trade journal Travel and Tour World published fresh data on 14 February indicating that the cultural pull of the Year of the Horse is catalysing record-breaking travel across Asia-Pacific, with China both a key source and destination market. The study aggregates booking data from 12 OTAs and GDS feeds, showing outbound Chinese reservations up 48 percent year-on-year for departures between 15 February and 3 March.
In parallel, inbound searches for China climbed 82 percent after Beijing’s 30-day visa-free pilot for 45 countries was extended through 2026. Seoul, Bangkok and Sydney rank as the top three outbound picks, while Beijing, Harbin and Xi’an dominate inbound interest, buoyed by ice-and-snow festivals and heritage tours.
![Year-of-the-Horse Spirit Spurs Historic Regional Travel Surge, Report Finds]()
The report flags capacity bottlenecks: average load factors on China-bound flights from Southeast Asia are already at 94 percent, and high-speed-rail tickets on Beijing–Harbin sleeper services sold out within ten minutes of release for peak dates. Hoteliers in Harbin report RevPAR up 67 percent versus 2025.
For HR teams relocating staff into China, securing serviced apartments during February has become challenging. Some firms are shifting arrival dates to March or routing assignees through secondary airports such as Tianjin to avoid Beijing congestion.
Analysts predict that if current momentum holds, Asia-Pacific could close 2026 with a tourism GDP contribution 12 percent above 2019 levels, powered largely by Chinese outbound spending.
In parallel, inbound searches for China climbed 82 percent after Beijing’s 30-day visa-free pilot for 45 countries was extended through 2026. Seoul, Bangkok and Sydney rank as the top three outbound picks, while Beijing, Harbin and Xi’an dominate inbound interest, buoyed by ice-and-snow festivals and heritage tours.
The report flags capacity bottlenecks: average load factors on China-bound flights from Southeast Asia are already at 94 percent, and high-speed-rail tickets on Beijing–Harbin sleeper services sold out within ten minutes of release for peak dates. Hoteliers in Harbin report RevPAR up 67 percent versus 2025.
For HR teams relocating staff into China, securing serviced apartments during February has become challenging. Some firms are shifting arrival dates to March or routing assignees through secondary airports such as Tianjin to avoid Beijing congestion.
Analysts predict that if current momentum holds, Asia-Pacific could close 2026 with a tourism GDP contribution 12 percent above 2019 levels, powered largely by Chinese outbound spending.
Source: Travel and Tour World
