BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's tourism sector showed strong momentum during the Spring Festival holiday, with both visitor numbers and tourism spending hitting record highs.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday reported that during the nine-day holiday, which began on Feb. 15 and came to an end on Monday, China recorded 596 million domestic trips -- an increase of 95 million compared to the eight-day Spring Festival holiday in 2025.

Domestic tourism spending totaled 803.5 billion yuan (about 115.8 billion U.S. dollars), which was up 126.5 billion yuan from last year.

The statistics imply that as ice-and-snow tourism and winter sun getaways continued to attract strong interest, tourists traveled farther distances and stayed for longer trips this holiday, according to the ministry.

And among international tourists, the popularity of seeking Spring Festival celebrations in China is on the rise, the ministry said.■