Visitors set to celebrate New Year worldwide

(China Daily USA) Updated: 2015-02-19 12:21

Chinese artists dance during the "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring" performance at the National Theater in Yangon, Myanmar, Feb. 24, 2015. [Xinhua/U Aung]

Chinese tourists are among the world's biggest spenders. More than 100 million travelers from China spent a record $164.8 billion overseas last year, according to the China National Tourism Bureau.

In The Shard, London's tallest building, the Shangri-La Hotel has prepared a wide selection of traditional treats.

Traditionally, Spring Festival tables overflow with food to convey good fortune. For example, melon seeds signify fertility, sweetened lotus nuts represent prosperity and mandarins symbolize wealth.

According to the China Tourism Academy, about 60 percent of Chinese tourists intend to go abroad during Spring Festival.

Zheng Yimin, a consultant to the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Society, said Chinese Lunar New Year is becoming a global festival thanks to China's economic and cultural strength. "The large Chinese community abroad is helping to promote Spring Festival," he added.

Chinese communities will gather in many large European cities to celebrate. Costume parades featuring dragons and firecrackers will pass through the streets of capitals. In the United States, New York City has launched a campaign to promote its three Chinese neighborhoods - Sunset Park, Chinatown and Flushing.