China is gearing up to harness the extended Lunar New Year holiday to attract more spending by international tourists, as the country looks to shake off a recent economic slowdown and pivot towards consumption-driven growth.
In a rare joint initiative by nine central government departments, Beijing announced plans earlier this month to turn the holiday – which this year began on Sunday and runs through February 23 – into a “consumption feast that links regions and engages everyone”.
The move comes as China strives to find new growth drivers and revive sluggish domestic demand, after retail sales growth slowed to 3.7 per cent year on year in 2025 and deflationary pressure continued to weigh on the economy.
The plan aims to drive up spending by tapping into China’s recent boom in inbound tourism, with proposals to increase capacity on international flights based on market demand and make it easier to use foreign bank cards and payment apps on the mainland.
It also encouraged local governments to release multilingual guides introducing Lunar New Year folk customs to help tourists experience China’s cultural heritage and holiday traditions.
Other parts of the plan focus on driving more domestic spending over the holiday using shopping vouchers, consumption subsidies and the country’s vast trade-in programme for consumer goods.
The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of China’s most important holidays and has long been a crucial period for consumption, as hundreds of millions of workers enjoy a rare week-long break. This year’s holiday holds extra promise as it will last for an unusually long nine days.
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