China's Lunar New Year spending surges beyond pre-pandemic level

SHANGHAI -- Travel and spending during China's Lunar New Year holiday surged beyond the pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 despite concerns over slowing economic growth.

Total domestic trips for the eight-day long that began on Feb. 10 rose 34.3% to 474 million, while tourism receipts grew 47.3% to 632.6 billion yuan ($89 billion) according to data published Sunday by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. That's 19% more in term of trips and 7.7% more in terms of tourism spending from the equivalent period in 2019.