BEIJING — Domestic travel in China reached record levels in 2025, with both the number of trips and tourism spending hitting new highs, according to the country’s culture and tourism minister.

Sun Yeli, China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, said the surge in travel activity reflects strong growth in the domestic tourism sector. He shared the figures at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature.

During the nine-day Spring Festival holiday from February 15 to 23 in 2026, China recorded 596 million domestic trips. Tourism spending during the holiday exceeded 800 billion yuan (about $115.9 billion), marking new records for both travel volume and expenditure.

For the full year of 2025, domestic trips by Chinese residents surpassed 6.5 billion, representing an increase of more than 16 percent compared with the previous year. Tourism spending reached 6.3 trillion yuan, up 9.5 percent year-on-year, according to the minister.

Sun said the continued growth in travel reflects the expanding role of tourism in China’s economy and social life.

Looking ahead, the culture and tourism sectors will prepare and implement development strategies under the 15th Five-Year Plan for cultural and tourism development covering the period from 2026 to 2030.

According to Sun, the plan will align with China’s broader national development goals and aims to strengthen the role of cultural and tourism industries in supporting economic growth and improving quality of life.

He said the initiative will focus on promoting cultural enrichment, encouraging tourism development, and supporting broader social and economic progress.