New Year holiday to bring peak in travel

Eagerly awaiting the upcoming New Year's Day holiday, Wang Xiaohui, 32, has planned a trip to Harbin — a traditional winter tourism destination and the capital of Heilongjiang province — for the three-day break starting on Jan 1. Wang will ring in the New Year amid the city's dreamlike snowy vistas.

"I used to spend New Year's Eve in Beijing with my family, eating dumplings, but this year I'll spend it with three friends," she said.

She had planned to see in the New Year at Harbin Ice and Snow World, one of China's top snow-themed parks, but was unable to get tickets.

Travel agencies have forecast significant growth in both domestic and outbound tourism during the three-day holiday. Within the country, colder regions with abundant snow and regions with milder climates are competing for travelers.

Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu, said, "In the past 10 days, searches for 'New Year' tour products on our platform have doubled compared with the previous 10 days, and searches for 'New Year's Eve countdown' have grown by over 50 percent."

Qi noted the soaring popularity of snow destinations like Harbin and predicted that a travel peak in the winter tourism market would occur during the New Year's Day holiday. This is supported by data from Tujia, a domestic homestay booking platform, which reported that Harbin currently leads in holiday bookings.

"Warmer places like Quanzhou in Fujian province and Libo in Guizhou province are also popular, with searches increasing by three to five times in the past 10 days," he said.

Li Ailing, from Beijing, has booked a three-day trip to Quanzhou with her husband.

"Beijing is too cold in winter, so we want to go to a warmer place with beautiful sea views," Li said. "My husband visited Quanzhou last year, and highly recommended it for its delicious food and distinct culture."

Li said that they plan to leave on Dec 31, a day before the holiday period starts, to avoid the traffic rush.

The outbound tourism market is also expected to boom over the holiday. Online travel agency Qunar forecasts its first travel peak on Saturday. Popular destinations include South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, with South Korea seeing the fastest growth in bookings due to lower flight prices.

Qunar noted that some tourists are extending their trips by taking extra paid vacation days to visit more distant destinations such as Egypt and Spain. "New Zealand is also popular among those extending their breaks because it's midsummer there. We've seen flight bookings to New Zealand increase by 1.1 times on our platform," it added.