Spring Festival travel spreads celebratory vibes across continents

During this year's Spring Festival, many Chinese chose to celebrate abroad, discovering that distance did little to dull the holiday's joy. Vibrant dragon dances, glowing lantern displays and lavish festive feasts proved that the spirit of the Chinese New Year continues to resonate far beyond national borders.

Across the globe, Spring Festival celebrations are creating memorable experiences for both tourists and locals, not only showcasing Chinese culture through performances and traditional events, but also fostering travel and cross-cultural exchanges.

From festive parades in European cities to holiday fairs in South America, Chinese tourists traveling abroad during the New Year, which fell on Feb 17 this year, are finding Chinese traditions alive in destinations far from home.

In central Turkiye's Cappadocia region, festivities launched on Feb 14 brought Chinese New Year elements to one of the country's most iconic tourist sites.

Best known for its dramatic rock formations and cave-dotted valleys shaped by volcanic activity, Cappadocia attracts visitors from around the world each year. During this year's festivities, hot-air balloons bearing Chinese New Year greetings, including a horse-shaped balloon, became a popular attraction for tourists.

After sunset, coordinated drone displays illuminated the sky with messages such as "Year of the Horse 2026" and "China-Turkiye Friendship", creating a festive atmosphere visible across the landscape.

"It's amazing!" says Zhang Mengping, a tourist from China's Chengdu in Sichuan province. Seeing elements of the Chinese Spring Festival in a foreign country is both familiar and heartwarming, reflecting the growing global reach of Chinese culture, she says.

Chinese travelers visiting France encountered similarly creative celebrations that blended tradition with modern technology.

In Paris, a Chinese New Year parade led by robotic performers made its way along the Champs-Elysees to the beat of festive drums, marking the fourth time the event has animated the landmark avenue.

"Seeing traditional arts like the dragon and lion dance, Yingge dance, and hanfu performances presented together overseas made me feel the charm of Chinese civilization directly," says Wu Yao, a tourist from Northwest China's Shaanxi province, after watching the parade.

Data from China's National Immigration Administration indicate that cross-border travel is expected to rise in both directions during this year's Spring Festival holiday. Daily inbound and outbound passenger trips are projected to exceed 2.05 million, up 14.1 percent compared with the same period last year.

The expansion of mutual visa-free arrangements between China and several countries, including Russia and Brazil, has further improved accessibility for holiday travel.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, which fell on Feb 16, the third "Happy Chinese New Year" event opened at Manezhnaya Square in Moscow. Despite temperatures dropping to — 15 C and the day falling on a workday, residents and tourists gathered in the falling snow to join the celebrations.

A tourist surnamed Wu from East China's Zhejiang province says his family chose to spend the holiday in Russia this year to experience a different Spring Festival abroad. They also traveled to Murmansk, a city in the Arctic Circle, where they viewed the aurora over the Arctic Ocean.

In January, Brazil announced visa-free entry for certain short-term Chinese travelers in response to China's visa-free policies for Brazilian nationals. While Russia experienced winter cold, Brazil was in summer. In Sao Paulo, the country's largest city, Liberty Square was decorated for the Chinese Spring Festival.

The annual holiday fair, now in its 21st edition, attracted thousands of locals and visitors, featuring calligraphy, traditional Chinese dance and acupuncture demonstrations.

A tourist surnamed Chen, from South China's Guangdong province, who traveled to South America during the holiday, says she was surprised by the scale of participation.

"With dragon and lion dances and people practicing tai chi, the Chinese New Year atmosphere in Brazil is truly rich," says Chen. This year, Spring Festival coincided with Brazil's carnival season. "This kind of 'double festivity' that spans half the globe is truly unforgettable."

Across continents, Spring Festival celebrations are serving as meaningful platforms for cultural exchanges, blending Chinese customs with local traditions to create shared festive experiences.

On Tanzania's Zanzibar, an island in the Indian Ocean often called the "Spice Island", Spring Festival festivities took on a unique local flavor. On Chinese New Year's Eve, Wang Wenming, a Chinese tourist born in the 1990s, and his fiancee marked the occasion at a seaside restaurant on the northern part of the island.

As the waves lapped against nearby rocks, a restaurant staff member, learning that the couple was celebrating the Chinese New Year, played the Chinese folk song Mo Li Hua (Jasmine Flower). The melody echoed across the terrace, drawing smiles and toasts from diners of different nationalities.

Wang says he was pleased to see local communities becoming more familiar with Chinese festivals.

"Through these exchanges, I introduced some Chinese cultural customs to local people, and the sense of fulfillment from this kind of interaction goes beyond sightseeing," he says.

In Indonesia, the Confucius Institute at the University of Al-Azhar Indonesia organized celebrations under the guidance of its Chinese director, Wang Daxin.

During the holiday, events combined park-style activities with stage performances. Visitors could watch lion dances, martial arts and traditional performances, while also participating in interactive experiences such as practicing calligraphy, crafting paper cuttings, learning about tea ceremonies and making dumplings.

"We aim to help more Indonesians understand where the customs come from and what they mean through guided explanations, demonstrations and hands-on activities," Wang says.

Chen Jinxin, a tourist from South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, attended a face-changing performance of Sichuan Opera at the institute and described the experience as deeply moving.

"Seeing traditional Chinese arts appreciated overseas makes me proud," he says. "It shows that different cultures can connect, and that understanding and respect are possible across borders."