Chinese enjoy shopping, foot massages and travel to ring in New Year

A girl sits on his father's back after watching performances in the Temple of Heaven, in Beijing, Feb 22, 2015. [Photo/IC]

How are Chinese holidaymakers spending their Spring Festival holidays?

A real-time interactive map issued by Dianping.com, a popular Chinese rating website for entertainment and dining services, revealed that shopping and foot massages were the top two leisure activities over the Lunar New Year.

The map, updated at 11:00 am on Monday, showed that hotel stays, cafes and karaoke rounded out the top five forms of entertainment. Other popular holiday activities include visiting hair salons, facials, spa treatments and outdoor sports.

The amount spent by holidaymakers varied by region. Dianping.com said that since February 16, consumers in Hong Kong were the biggest spenders, spending an average of 1490 yuan ($238) on entertainment, compared with the national average of 304 yuan.

Residents in Shanghai came in second, spending an average of 708 yuan on entertainment with shopping, cafes and foot massages as their favorites activities .

Beijingers ranked fifth, with consumers spending 473 yuan on average.

When it comes to dining out, dianping.com users in both Hong Kong and Macao seem to be the most expensive eaters, spending an average of 150 yuan and 145 yuan, respectively, more than double the 72 yuan national average.

Diners in Shanghai led the mainland as the most generous spenders on fine dining, spending 107 yuan dining out, followed by Beijing residents at 98 yuan.

The most popular dishes across the country were sanbeiji, or stewed chicken with rice wine, roast duck, lamb skewers and grilled fish as well as desserts including crispy durian cake, Tiramisu and ice cream.

The data also reflected various regional food trends. In Hong Kong, for example, consumers spent the most on wonton noodles, while Chinese hamburgers in Shaanxi and braised chicken with potatoes in Xinjiang topped dining lists.

Meanwhile, another report by the China Tourism Academy showed that about 60% of Chinese tourists headed overseas for the Spring Festival holiday, the first time outbound holidaymakers outnumbered those travelling within China.

In China, Beijing became the top destination for Chinese travelers while the southern cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen rounded out the top four most popular cities for holidaymakers.