Chinese tourists plan stops to smell the cherry blossoms on holiday weekend

Ching Ming Festival trip bookings were up this year compared to last, travel platforms said, with particular interest in ‘flower tourism’

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Chinese tourists are expected to take advantage of the Ching Ming Festival break to visit sites where cherry blossoms are in bloom. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 4 Apr 2025

Chinese travellers will make a beeline for flowers over the long holiday weekend that starts Friday, with overall bookings topping last year’s totals according to industry analysts as many take advantage of deals and government-backed incentives.

Many of those seeking getaways for the annual Ching Ming Festival break are booking trips to Japan or the South Korean island of Jeju to walk among the cherry trees that flower in April.

“Flower tourism – particularly going to see cherry blossoms – is big this time of year, which drives interest in Japan,” a spokeswoman for the business consultancy Dragon Trail International said on Monday.

“We would expect domestic destinations known for cherry blossoms to do well, and also expect that most travel will be quite local.”

Travel platform Trip.com found orders from Chinese travellers for Osaka hotels grew 78 per cent this year over last year’s holiday period, and rose 44 per cent for lodgings in Tokyo.

Ching Ming Festival bookings overall were up 75 per cent for Kyoto, a Japanese city known for its natural scenery and traditional architecture, and 65 per cent higher for Jeju.

The platform said its figures point to a preference for “short escapes to maximise holiday time”. This year’s break runs from Friday through Sunday.