Spring Festival holiday cheer boosts spending

Authorities also enhanced digital services for overseas visitors and expanded the network of departure tax refund stores to 13,000 nationwide, allowing foreign visitors to receive refunds directly at retail outlets rather than waiting until departure at airports.

Combined with these policies and social media promotion, celebrating Spring Festival in China has become a growing trend among foreign tourists.

At Universal Beijing Resort, Dutch visitor Finn Grunbauer picked up a horse-themed hat and a Spring Festival T-shirt. "The festive atmosphere here makes you want to take this warmth home," he said.

Reflecting the surge in international travel, the National Immigration Administration reported that average daily border crossings during the holiday stood at 1.98 million, up 10.1 percent year-on-year.

Yabuli Ski Resort in Heilongjiang was bustling with activity during the holiday period, as skiers packed its winding slopes, embracing the thrill of winter sports in China's frozen northeast.

"This year, the buzz of the Winter Olympics has drawn noticeably larger crowds to ski resorts, with many people celebrating the New Year through sports," said Mao Bowen, a skier from Shanghai in East China.

Meanwhile, down in the far south, Hainan marked its first Spring Festival holiday since the launch of island-wide special customs operations under the free trade port framework. According to local customs, Hainan offshore duty-free sales totaled 2.72 billion yuan ($392 million) during the holiday, an increase of 30.8 percent year-on-year.

Across the country, broader consumption trends point to a recovery driven by services and experiential spending. During the first six days of the holiday, transactions for travel and lifestyle entertainment via WeChat Pay rose more than 20 percent compared with the same period last year.

Notably, AI-powered home appliances emerged as standout sellers, ranging from robot vacuum cleaners capable of obstacle avoidance and route planning to air conditioners featuring precision climate control.

"During the holiday, products integrating AI-based scenarios accounted for over 50 percent of new-product sales," said Meng Qingxiang, head of store management at retail giant Suning.com.

Zou Yunhan, a researcher with the State Information Center, noted that with China's per capita GDP approaching $14,000, consumption growth is expected to shift gradually from volume expansion toward quality upgrading.

New technologies, business formats and models are emerging at a faster pace, driving industrial upgrading and continuously unlocking the vast potential of the domestic market, Zou said.

Xinhua