BEIJING, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- As the Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, draws near, a growing number of international travelers are planning their trips around this traditional celebration to immerse themselves in China's vibrant culture and festive spirit.

For Finn, a young Dutch student who wore a horse-head hat and took photos under a theme park's golden wishing tree, his visit to Beijing shortly before the Spring Festival was great fun.

"The joyous atmosphere and diverse interactive activities here make me fully immersed and entertained," he said. "I'll definitely share this with my friends in the Netherlands, and I'd love to bring them here again to experience a different Chinese New Year."

Finn's horse-head hat is popular among young travelers in the park because 2026 is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac. And the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 17, marks the first day of this Chinese New Year.

Just like Finn, many international tourists are taking China as their destination recently. Data from major travel platforms shows a substantial rise in inbound tourism for the 2026 Spring Festival.

During the last two weeks of January, international flight bookings to China jumped more than 400 percent compared to the same period last year, led by tourists from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Notably, China has seen a significant ninefold increase in the number of reservations made by tourists from Argentina during this year's nine-day Spring Festival holiday, while bookings from European countries, including the Netherlands, Spain and Britain, more than doubled.

"Around one third of our room bookings during the coming holiday were made by foreign guests," said a staff member of a hotel in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. He added that many of these foreigners opted for extended stays to fully embrace the Chinese festival, which led to almost complete occupancy.

"Celebrating the Spring Festival in China is becoming a new global trend," an analyst of the tourism industry said. "The uniqueness and immersive experience of Spring Festival traditions are emerging as core attractions for overseas visitors, injecting sustained momentum into the development of inbound tourism."

The tourism boom is not limited to major cities; China's diverse landscapes and culture have given rise to many unexpected destinations.

Recently, many Russian tourists have flowed into Hunchun, a small city of 200,000 people in northeastern China's Jilin Province that shares a border with Russia, as diverse local activities have begun for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Varvara is among the visitors. During her trip, she plans to visit the New Year's market, enjoy traditional festival food like dumplings, and take part in activities such as paper-cutting and hanging couplets.

"I'm looking forward to all these activities. Learning about Chinese culture during China's most important festival is a truly unique experience," she said.

Daria, another tourist from Russia, was excited about having a traditional Hanfu photoshoot during her Spring Festival visit to a local ancient town. She said she believes that wearing the traditional attire would provide a deeper and more authentic immersion into the festival.

Since the beginning of 2026, the Hunchun port between China and Russia has processed about 58,000 inbound and outbound passengers, including 44,000 foreign nationals, marking a year-on-year increase of 74.8 percent, according to local authorities.

According to industry insiders, the travel boom can also be attributed to the relaxed visa and travel facilitation policies. Data from the National Immigration Administration shows that in 2025, China expanded its unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of 48 countries, while the number of countries offering reciprocal visa exemptions rose to 29.

In 2025, the number of inbound and outbound travels by foreign nationals surpassed 82 million, up by 26.4 percent year on year, and the visa-free entries rose by nearly 50 percent year on year.

Furthermore, across global social media platforms, terms like "Becoming Chinese" and "China Shopping" have gained traction, reflecting growing interest in immersive, hands-on experiences in China.

Noting these trends in tourism and social media, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said he's glad to see that more and more foreign friends show interest in experiencing today's China and exploring the Chinese people's everyday life, and that they have the opportunity to do so.

"We warmly welcome foreign friends to come to China for the Spring Festival to experience the country's joy and hospitality," the spokesperson added. ■