“Embrace the Serpent’s Journey: Discovering Unique Hideaways with Extended Escapes”

• Increase in international travel with stays extending up to 10% longer this festive season
• Rising enthusiasm for unconventional destinations and cruises

SINGAPORE, Jan. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — This Lunar New Year (LNY) is evolving into a joyous season of adventure and connection as families and friends across the globe embrace the festivities.

This year symbolizes the year of the Snake, an emblem of wisdom, intuition, and change — concepts that mirror the evolving travel landscape. While some individuals prefer to celebrate at home, others are seizing the chance to forge memories in both distant and nearby destinations. With travel resuming fully, Trip.com Group has revealed its latest LNY trends for 2025, illustrating how explorers are focusing on longer stays, significant experiences, and unique destinations this year.

International Travel Reaches New Levels with Prolonged Stays

Statistics indicate considerable year-on-year growth for cross-border travel, as explorers merge public holidays with annual leave to extend their duration of stay.

Remarkably, in the Chinese mainland, a major hub for LNY travel, New Year’s Eve is officially acknowledged as a holiday in 2025. This permits travellers to take just two days off for an eleven-day holiday. Korean travellers need one day off for a nine-day break, while Singaporean tourists can create a five-day holiday by taking a single day off. Therefore, extended stays are a defining feature of this year’s LNY. On average, Asia-Pacific tourists will stay up to 10% longer throughout this festive timeframe.

Favoured destinations for those who celebrate LNY include Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Chinese mainland.

Demand for Longer Flights and Lesser-known Locations Increases

Data reveals a significant rise in explorers venturing to locations outside the Asia-Pacific area, with medium and long-haul flights experiencing a surge, particularly within the Malaysia market (55% and 60% respectively) and South Korean market (36% & 90% respectively).

Travellers are also in pursuit of novel experiences, with a marked interest in remote locations this holiday period. Lesser-known treasures like Giza (Egypt), famed for the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx; San Luis Obispo (USA), recognized for its wineries and picturesque coastlines; and Charenton-le-Pont (France), situated southeast of central Paris, are attracting the attention of those searching for distinctive experiences beyond the typical tourist route. This trend is also evident in popular Asian destinations, with a growing number seeking lesser-known cities, such as Funabashi, Ibaraki and Okinawa (Japan) and Seremban (Malaysia).

Short-haul flights continue to be a favoured choice for travellers with brief national holidays. Malaysia and Thailand ranked highest for booking volume growth in this category.

Family Travel Takes the Spotlight

Family reunions are pivotal to Lunar New Year customs, and this year, families are venturing out together for festive enjoyment – both at sea and on theme park attractions.

Cruises are gaining traction as an increasingly popular option among consumers from the Chinese mainland and Singapore, with data reflecting significant growth compared to last year. Amongthese, family-oriented accommodations have increased by 400%, with the leading hubs being Shanghai, Singapore and Dubai, and appealing port locations such as Fukuoka (Japan), Jeju (South Korea) and Phuket (Thailand). Research from Trip.com Group indicates that opulent facilities and all-inclusive deals are emerging as the top drivers for cruise goers in the APAC region.

Continuing with the same trend, children’s tickets for attractions have also surged by 42% in overall reservations this year, with family-centric attractions like Universal Studios Japan, Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland experiencing significant growth. These theme park destinations, in addition to aquariums and museums, are preferred selections for families desiring unforgettable experiences.

Millennials are increasingly pursuing Instagram-worthy opportunities at attractions like Mount Fuji and Shibuya Sky, which provides sweeping Tokyo panoramas. In contrast, older generations prioritize luxurious and exclusive experiences, opting for indulgences like Studio City Macau casino resort and the ski resorts at Niseko.

Luxury Travel or Cost-Effectiveness?       

Travellers are embracing a combination of luxury and budget-conscious strategies to enhance their holiday enjoyment.

There has been a notable increase in reservations for 5 & 4-star hotels, with an uptick in average bookings. Malaysian vacationers are at the forefront of this surge, witnessing nearly a threefold increase in 5 & 4-star hotel reservations, followed by travellers from Singapore and Thailand.

The appetite for alternative lodgings has risen considerably, particularly in Japan, with traditional Japanese Ryokans, apartments, guesthouses and homestays leading the preference for mainland Chinese, Thai and South Korean tourists.

Remarkably, the typical budget for travellers has experienced double-digit growth, indicating a readiness to spend on meaningful encounters during this holiday season. Business class and first-class airfare are trending this Lunar New Year, showing robust double-digit increases across each segment. Travellers from Singapore favor first-class air travel, showing a 400% increase compared to the previous year, closely followed by South Korean and mainland Chinese travellers, who also exhibit significant triple-digit growth.

Inbound Travel to the Chinese Mainland Sees Triple-Digit Increase

Bookings for inbound travel to the Chinese mainland have skyrocketed by over 200% year-on-year, with leading reservations made by visitors from South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, the United States, Australia, and the UK. 

Data indicates that popular travel routes within China are garnering more interest, with searches exhibiting triple-digit growth. Travel focuses on key metropolitan areas, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Beijing, while other less-frequented cities like Harbin, Chengdu, Xiamen, Zhuhai, Chongqing, and Hangzhou also feature prominently.

China’s increasingly traveller-friendly visa regulations are driving this surge. Over 30 countries can enjoy visa-free entry to the Chinese mainland, with a 62% year-on-year rise in bookings from countries recently added to this program. South Korea, Japan, Cyprus, Denmark and Croatia are reaping the benefits of this recent initiative.

Furthermore, China’s broadened visa-free transit regulation, allowing stays of up to 240 hours (10 days) for eligible international travellers, is invigorating various sectors within the country.

To enhance service for inbound visitors, Trip.com Group is launching its second complimentary layover tour, following the success of its ‘Shanghai Express’ program. The ‘Beijing Express‘ enables travellers transiting through Beijing to select one of two half-day tours that showcase the vibrant core of China’s capital. ‘Journey to the Great Wall’ transports travellers to one of the oldest and best-preserved sections of the Great Wall of China. ‘Highlights Half-Day City Tour’ navigates travellers on a cultural exploration of the ‘Temple of Heaven’, ‘Qianmen Street’ and ‘Tian’anmen Square,’ allowing them to appreciate Beijing’s historical heritage and dynamic culture. Each tour provides complimentary transportation, entry tickets, internet access, and English-speaking guides. Travellers are required to register in person at Beijing Capital International Airport, with availability based on a first-come, first-served policy.

This program aligns perfectly with the rising demand for cultural experiences. Currently, attraction and tour bookings for the Lunar New Year have surged over 200% year-on-year, with Beijing observing a 185% growth in incoming travellers compared to the prior year. Four out of five leading attractions were cultural sites, including the Great Wall of Badaling, the Great Wall of Mutianyu, the Forbidden City Museum, and the Summer Palace.

About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group represents a prominent global travel service provider, incorporating Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Through its platforms, Trip.com Group assists travellers worldwide in making well-informed and budget-friendly bookings for travel-related products and services while enabling partners to align their offerings with users through an aggregation of extensive travel-related content and resources, along with a sophisticated transaction platform that includes apps, websites, and 24/7 customer support centers. Established in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has evolved into one of the most recognized travel entities internationally, with a mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world.” Discover more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.

Connect with us on: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

SOURCE Trip.com Group