The lanterns are lit, and the festive atmosphere is in full swing. On January 18, Zigong, China's "City of Lanterns", hosted the launch ceremony for the 32nd Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival, themed "Spring Welcoming in Tianfu, Galloping into Sichuan," and the kickoff for the province-wide Spring Festival cultural-tourism consumption promotion campaign.

The reporter learned from the launch event that during the 2026 Spring Festival period, Sichuan will roll out over 2,000 cultural, tourism, commercial, and sports activities. Centered on the "1+10+N" premium cultural-tourism consumption brand matrix, these events will integrate elements such as traditional customs, promotional campaigns, intangible cultural heritage activities, local cuisine, nostalgic memories, and leisure vacations. The aim is to create a "Sichuan-style New Year" experience that blends splendor with ease and sparks a dynamic interplay between tradition and trend.

"1+10+N" Initiative Orchestrates Region-wide Engagement: Over 2,000 Sichuan-Style Events Await Your Discovery

For visitors, the Spring Festival journey begins with the world-renowned Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival as the grand opening act. Then, they can touch the "Divine Charm of Ancient Shu" at the 2026 Sanxingdui New Year Ceremony, experience the "Sichuan Spark" at 22 large-scale concerts, feel the "Warm Snow on Sichuan Mountains" during the Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Season, and meet the "Panda Partners" at the Mianyang China Giant Panda Garden.

A relevant official from the External Publicity Office of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee (the Information Office of the People's Government of Sichuan Province) introduced at the launch event that during the 2026 Spring Festival, Sichuan will link together consumption-boosting activities across the province in culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and other sectors, aiming to ignite the holiday consumer market with over 2,000 events.

In 2026, Sichuan will innovatively establish a "1+10+N" region-wide activity matrix. The "1" refers to the Zigong Lantern Festival taking the lead; the "10" represents ten premium activities covering areas such as ancient Shu culture, red legacy heritage, music performances, wellness retreats, rural New Year customs, youth trends, panda interactions, ice and snow sports, industrial exploration, cultural museum study tours, and sporting events. This matrix will present concentrated, immersive new cultural-tourism scenes rich in festive atmosphere across multiple business forms, offering a grand Spring Festival feast for visitors from all directions.

Before and after the Spring Festival, traditional activities will be held in succession, such as the "2026 Wuhou Shrine Grand Temple Fair" in Chengdu, the "Yuanjiu Mountain Climbing" in Dazhou, and the "Celebrating the New Year in the Ancient City of Langzhong" in Nanchong. Visitors can stroll through the temple fair, climb to heights for blessings, and seek the charm of ancient towns, rediscovering the rich festive atmosphere cherished in their memories.

Demand for icy escapes in the south is soaring, making it the perfect time to experience Sichuan's "warm snow" retreats. The 26th Southern International Ice and Snow Festival at Xiling Snow Mountain, the Mount Emei Ice and Snow Hot Spring Season, the Batai Mountain Skiing Event in Dazhou City, and the Wanggangping "Snowscape in the Clouds" Ice and Snow Experience Season in Ya'an City have all launched in succession. Activities such as skiing, soaking in hot springs, and admiring snowscapes can be enjoyed in one stop, fulfilling all the romantic winter fantasies of those in southern China.

Various locations across Sichuan will also host "N" distinctive activities, including "Cultural Relics Paying New Year Visits", "Celebrating the New Year in Ancient Towns", "Lighting Up Chinese Lanterns", intangible cultural heritage events, folk parades, music performances, Spring Festival goods fairs, "Cultural Train: Tongxin Art Troupe" initiatives for bringing culture, technology, and healthcare to the countryside, and "Our Festival: Spring Festival" mass cultural volunteer service activities. Together, these events will illuminate the vibrant spirit of the Spring Festival throughout the land of Ba-Shu from multiple dimensions.

Notably, Yibin has been selected as a sub-venue for the 2026 China Media Group Spring Festival Gala. Yibin is preparing a rich series of activities, inviting visitors from all directions to "Tour Yibin with the Spring Festival Gala" and experience the unique festive atmosphere of the "First City on the Yangtze River".

Welfare Policies Implemented: This "Sichuan Ease" Gift Pack Ensures Your Carefree and Enjoyable Visit

As the festive rhythm of "Galloping into the New Year" draws closer, data from Qunar.com shows that hotel bookings in popular cities for the Spring Festival period have increased by 70 percent year-on-year so far. Chengdu has already made it onto the national list of hot cities for "early-bird" Spring Festival bookings, while Zigong has seen a particularly prominent growth rate in hotel bookings for the winter break and Spring Festival period compared to the same period last year.

To make the festive season even cozier, Sichuan launches a series of preferential policies and services under the theme "Gallop into Sichuan: Amazing Fun Awaits". Concurrently, it rolls out public-benefiting policies such as distributing cultural-tourism consumption vouchers, implementing scenic spot ticket discounts, promoting the "Culture-Tourism + All Industries" initiative to boost consumption, and facilitating cross-regional cultural-tourism consumption linkages. These measures cover multiple sectors, including scenic areas, hotels, catering, and cinemas, making a Spring Festival trip to Sichuan an even warmer experience.

To cater to diverse demands for holiday trips, family getaways, and homecoming visits during the Spring Festival, scenic spots including Mount Emei and Xiling Snow Mountain are rolling out tailored discounts for the elderly and children, alongside special offers for returning residents. Ziyang City releases 2,000 free admission tickets for the Yuanjue Cave Scenic Area. Guang'an City plans to select 1,000 hometown-bound passengers holding designated train tickets for complimentary access to ticketed scenic spots. The Jianmen Pass-Cuiyun Corridor scenic area sets up an "Examiner + Candidate + Examination Hall + Top Scholar List" experience mode and launches an activity where participants can earn free admission tickets by reciting "Ode to Hard Roads to Sichuan" or transcribing the text of "Cuiyun Corridor" from memory. The Jiajin Mountain Ice and Snow Tourism Season coordinates efforts across scenic areas, accommodations, and dining establishments, launching attractive bundled offers such as "Skiing + Scenic Area Ticket" and "Accommodation + Scenic Area Ticket" to allow tourists to fully enjoy the benefits.

Cross-regional cultural-tourism consumption linkages showcase new vitality in coordinated development. The Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival introduces a "One Ticket Benefits the Whole City" linkage mechanism. Holding a ticket to the Chinese Lantern World grants visitors access to linked consumption discounts across multiple cities and prefectures, including Zigong, Deyang, Mianyang, Suining, and Ziyang, making it possible to experience the highlights of several destinations. A public-benefiting tourism campaign is launched by 84 scenic spots across the five-city cluster of Chengdu, Deyang, Meishan, Ziyang, and Chongqing. Visitors who validate a ticket at any participating site in one city within a seven-day window are eligible for a 50 percent discount on the first entry ticket at attractions in the other four destinations. Sichuan Airlines launches the "Sichuan-Chongqing-Xizang Flight Benefits Card", offering discounts with minimum spend requirements on 200 routes in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Xizang.

During the Spring Festival, additional temporary passenger transport services will be added for popular scenic spots across the province, parking layouts will be optimized, and cultural-tourism information desks will be set up in highway service areas. Volunteer service stations will be established around major tourist attractions, commercial districts, and sports venues. Public security, transportation, and market regulation departments will strengthen on-duty arrangements to ensure the safety of tourists. This coordinated effort is dedicated to creating a seamless visitor experience, ensuring travel is worry-free, shopping is satisfying, exploration is comfortable, service is attentive, and dining is assured.