TONGCHENGTRAVEL: Travel AI-related inquiries during the Spring Festival have doubled, and the number of first-time flight users has increased by over 30% year-on-year

The 2026 Spring Festival travel rush in mainland China will start on February 2 and end on March 13, lasting a total of 40 days. TONGCHENGTRAVEL released the "2026 Spring Festival Travel Trend Report," indicating that the first wave of travel peaks for civil aviation and railways before the festival is expected to occur around February 6, with the peak passenger flow before the festival anticipated on February 13 and 14.

During the Spring Festival travel rush, domestic flight ticket prices have slightly increased compared to the same period last year. In terms of popular routes, major departure cities for railways before the Spring Festival are mainly concentrated in first-tier cities and regional central cities such as Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Beijing, while popular departure cities for civil aviation are focused on first-tier cities like Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. The "longest Spring Festival holiday in history" significantly boosts the demand for multiple trips during this year's travel rush, with the proportion of travelers flying more than twice expected to reach 13% for civil aviation and over 30% for railways, both marking a new high for the same period since 2023.

According to TONGCHENGTRAVEL platform's flight booking data as of January 19, the average price of domestic tickets during this year's Spring Festival travel rush exceeds 950 yuan (the same below) (excluding airport construction and fuel fees), while the average price of international tickets is about 900 yuan (excluding tax), both slightly higher than the same period last year. Among them, the average ticket price for popular domestic flight routes during peak passenger flow before the festival is expected to be over 1,100 yuan, while the average ticket price for popular return routes during peak return periods is expected to exceed 1,300 yuan.

The report mentions that the deep involvement of travel AI is expected to be a major highlight of the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush. With the arrival of the peak booking period for train and flight tickets, the number of inquiries related to travel planning for the Spring Festival using the travel AI developed by TONGCHENGTRAVEL, DeepTrip, has increased by over 100% week-on-week in the past week. DeepTrip can provide travel solutions that include newly opened routes, transfer routes, and new high-speed rail lines, helping users find travel options beyond their awareness. The number of first-time air travelers is significantly increasing, with predictions indicating that the number of first-time travelers on the TONGCHENGTRAVEL platform during this year's Spring Festival travel rush will see an increase of over 30%, and the growth rate of first-time travelers on popular travel routes and return routes may be even higher