Chinese consumers’ cultural, entertainment spending surges during 2025 Spring Festival: State Taxation Administration

Tourists visit Changdian temple fair to celebrate the Spring Festival in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

During the recently concluded Spring Festival holiday, Chinese consumers' cultural and entertainment spending has surged. Revenue from cultural and artistic services rose 66.3 percent, the People's Daily quoted the State Taxation Administration as saying.

The report is based on an analysis of consumer spending across various sectors during the Spring Festival, using value-added tax VAT invoice data from the State Taxation Administration.

Numerous cultural activities focused on themes such as ice and snow, performances, and folk traditions during the Spring Festival holiday, boosting economic activity across multiple sectors.

Among them, literary and performance-related services saw an 83.9 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, while earnings from arts performance venues increased by 65.9 percent, according to the report.

Notably, consumers placed greater emphasis on sports and wellness experiences during Spring Festival, with a marked increase in related consumption. Revenue from sports venue services surged by 135 percent, while fitness services experienced an exceptional 224.1 percent year-on-year surge, the People's Daily reported.

The spending is underpinned by the strong recovery in China's cultural and tourism market, which experienced significant growth during the holiday, with tourism-related revenue increasing by 37.5 percent year-on-year, the report said.

Chinese travel platform Fliggy told the Global Times on Tuesday that per capita spending on domestic travel during the holiday rose by nearly 10 percent compared to last year, while the average length of stay increased by 5 percent.

Also, the number of tourists participating in cultural performances surged by 36 percent, with over half of the bookings coming from group trips with family and friends, Fliggy said.

Daily sales revenue during the holiday rose by 10.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Specifically, goods consumption increased by 9.9 percent, while services consumption saw a 12.3 percent rise, the report said.

Meanwhile, sales revenue for household appliances and audio-visual equipment surged by 166.4 percent year-on-year, with television and other home entertainment device sales soaring by 226.8 percent, according to People's Daily.

The strong consumer demand during the holiday highlighted two major market opportunities in China: the consumer goods trade-in trend and growing demand for cultural and recreational experiences, Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"This year, many cultural products have incorporated elements of intangible cultural heritage. With thousands of years of history, China holds a wealth of stories to share. The integration with cultural and tourism sectors has unlocked significant consumer potential," Zhang said. "What we're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg, with vast growth potential being predicted."

During the first seven days of the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, Chinese card payment giant China UnionPay and NetsUnion Clearing Corp handled 22.08 billion transactions, totaling 8.52 trillion yuan ($1.18 trillion), the People's Bank of China said.