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Chinese New Year 2026: China Outbound Travel Trends and Xiaohongshu Strategy
Chinese New Year (CNY) has evolved from a traditional family reunion into one of the most important periods for China outbound travel. In 2026, the nine-day public holiday combined with flexible leave-taking and proximity to Valentine’s Day, is set to significantly boost long-haul and cross-border travel. Travelers are no longer just heading home. They are seeking self-fulfillment through “Family trips” and “romantic global getaways”.
Key Insights from Xiaohongshu: Planning Earlier, Traveling Further
Xiaohongshu (XHS/ RedNote) data indicates that outbound travel planning for CNY starts as early as December, when search interest peaks with users spending an average of 4–6 weeks researching "hidden gem" itineraries and visa-free destinations. Interest remains high throughout January as trips commence. Compared with 2025, travelers in 2026 are showing stronger intent toward longer stays, premium experiences, and destinations that deliver emotional value beyond sightseeing.
Top Destinations during 2026 Chinese New Year on Xiaohongshu
1. Value For Convenience: Asia dominates the top five searched destinations, led by Japan and Hong Kong. Visa convenience, cultural familiarity, and mature tourism infrastructure make them ideal for family and spontaneous trips. Besides, Dubai records over 424% search growth, benefiting from visa-free access, fireworks, shopping festivals, and strong social media presence.
2. Seeking Culture and Experiences: Long-haul interest rebounds strongly, with New Zealand emerging as a standout destination, driven by “slow living” narratives and nature-led IP collaborations on Xiaohongshu in 2024. Europe’s countries also saw a surge as travelers to combine natural experiences with museum and heritage visits.
3. Luxury Healing Escapes: Switzerland and Maldives lead searches among luxury travelers, while niche destinations such as Palau, Fiji, and Iceland see rapid growth. For high-net-worth travelers, CNY travel is increasingly about private villa stays, nature, and mental rejuvenation.
Global Travel Trends on Xiaohongshu Shaping 2026 Chinese New Year
| Core Trend | Key Motivation | Activities | Hot Keywords (YoY) |
| Luxury Indulgence | Rewarding oneself | Michelin dining, luxury hotels, VIP services | Custom travel +97.5%,VIP service +67.6% |
| Cultural Immersion | Broadening horizons | Museums, heritage, festive customs | Local Heritage & Customs +95.3%,Museum +31.2% |
| Emotional Healing | Reset and recharge | Hot springs, hiking, nature retreats | Hiking +68.4%,Mountain hot spring +53.5% |
| Romantic Travel | Unique memories | Hidden Gem Towns, sunset, northern lights | Village towns +60.1%, Wedding photos +47.8% |
Winning the 2026 CNY with Xiaohongshu’s Exclusive Ad Solutions
Xiaohongshu enables precise targeting of CNY pre-travel and in-destination audiences, covering all global regions with granular geo-targeting. Its content-driven ecosystem is instrumental in shaping destination choice, itinerary planning, and consumption decisions during Chinese New Year.
Beyond its content-driven discovery ecosystem, Xiaohongshu offers CNY-exclusive advertising solutions and CNY IPthat help travel and lifestyle brands stand out during the most competitive season of the year.
CNY-Exclusive Brand Zone: High-Impact Festive Discovery
The CNY Limited Edition Brand Zone integrates exclusive New Year design formats directly into search and discovery experiences. By embedding strong CNY atmospheres, such as New Year color palettes and celebratory motifs, brands can significantly amplify “New Year vibes” at the moment of intent.
By combining seasonal relevance with high-intent exposure, the Brand Zone effectively bridges short-term festive attention with sustained brand impact.
CNY Creative Opening Ads: Driving Maximum Visibility at Scale
To maximize exposure during the CNY surge, Xiaohongshu introduces two New Year creative opening ad formats, designed to elevate brand memorability and engagement at the very first user touchpoint.
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- Flowing Light Opening (流光映幕): This format delivers a dynamic, surprise-driven experience by randomly displaying different New Year blessing cards to users. Brands can flexibly customize transitions, festive moods, and blessing messages, with multiple landing page options to support private traffic and conversion strategies, creating a stronger emotional resonance and enhanced brand recall during CNY.
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- Triple Harmony Opening (三重奏幕): This format merges three cards into a large viewing window, creating a celebratory “New Year greeting gift” effect. With flexible landing page routing, this solution helps brands efficiently drive traffic while maximizing creative impact.
Chinese New Year IP Opportunities: Gaining Organic UGC Exposure
For 2026, Xiaohongshu introduces themed CNY IPs “Celebrate CNY on Xiaohongshu” (2026过年就来小红书), designed to co-create destination narratives around luxury, family-friendliness, healing, and romance. Notably, Xiaohongshu will launch a large-scale festive installation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 14–19. Users can participate by posting with dedicated hashtag and brand tag to unlock random rewards, driving organic UGC, social sharing and gain Southeast Asia exposure.
Capture 2026 Chinese New Year Travel Demands with iClick
As China outbound travel continues to rebound, brands must engage travelers earlier and more precisely. Leveraging platforms such as Xiaohongshu alongside data-driven strategies, iClick helps tourism boards, airlines, hotels, and retailers convert inspiration into measurable growth.
Contact iClick to unlock your China outbound travel strategy for Chinese New Year 2026 and beyond.
Source: 小红书跨境行业平台专家出品: 2026年春节节点洞察
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