Spring Festival seen as springboard to boost economy

Shanghai should further tap the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese New Year and leverage the boom of inbound travel to lift consumption, according to lawmakers and advisers.

This will be the first Spring Festival since the inscription of the festival on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

While the visa-free policies and resumption of cross-border flights have boosted the number of international arrivals, local lawmakers and political advisers are urging the city to fully leverage the impact of inbound tourists and use the occasion to boost the economy.

Chen Le, a member of the Shanghai committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, said tour operators should optimize the experience to allow residents and travelers to fully understand the deeper connotations of cultural artifacts and how they are made.

Short-form videos might be a suitable format to promote Chinese cultural heritage to an overseas audience, and also a favorable channel to promote Shanghai-style cuisine and handicrafts, Chen said.

Shanghai-based travel agency Spring Tour is offering over two dozen domestic tour packages that promote intangible cultural heritage in different regions of the country.

Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Spring Tour, and a Shanghai People's Congress deputy, said it has included more programs to allow tourists to fully embrace cultural heritage during the Spring Festival.

China's visa exemption policies have been giving a boost to inbound travel and "China Travel" keeps trending.

In 2024, the number of inbound and outbound journeys by foreign nationals stood at 64.88 million, up by 82.9 percent year on year. Among them, 20.12 million entered China visa-free, up by 112.3 percent year on year.

Jin Jiangbo, executive dean of the Academy of Fine Art at Shanghai University, and a member of the CPPCC Shanghai Committee, also proposed new formats of Shanghai-style Spring Festival celebrations to promote traditional skills and customs to the younger generation.

Traditional performing arts culture and customs can still resonate with modern times and people's emotional aspirations, he said.

Xu Xiaoliang, co-CEO of Fosun International and also a Shanghai legislator, proposed the integration of tourism and commercial resources and events for better synergies.

At landmarks locations such as Yuyuan Garden, street bazaars with rich Spring Festival elements have attracted local residents as well as visitors.

The idea of cross-over innovation should be adopted while promoting traditional cultural heritage under the current era, and digital technologies can also be leveraged to fully reflect the younger generation's preferences,