From lantern displays and intangible cultural heritage showcases to immersive shopping experiences, Sichuan's consumer market saw vibrant new trends during the Spring Festival holiday, driven by the deep integration of goods consumption and service consumption and the synergy of policy support and upgraded scenarios, as the reporter learned from the Department of Commerce on February 23.

Booming Traffic, Innovative Scenarios—Consumption Vitality Surges

During the Spring Festival holiday, cities across Sichuan actively launched "Joyful Spring Festival Shopping" special events, with each new consumption scenario pulsing with vitality and drawing eager crowds.

In Chengdu, Kuanzhai Alley launched an innovative light and shadow exhibition under the theme "China in Stories, Lights in Kuanzhai Alley". Tiexiangsi Water Street introduced a variety of Spring Festival activities, recreating the bustling scenes of the Bashu water town as described in the Rhapsody on the Capital of Shu. Iconic venues such as Wuhou Shrine and Dong'an Lake hosted themed events combining temple fairs and lantern displays, offering visitors an immersive shopping and sightseeing experience.

In Mianyang, Fucheng Wanda Plaza rolled out a series of Spring Festival events, creating new consumption scenarios where intangible cultural heritage celebrations usher in the New Year. Zigong hosted events such as the "Lantern New Year Market" and the "Dragon Lantern Fireworks Year" at the Chinese Lantern World, offering visitors a unique experience. In Guangyuan, Qingchuan introduced innovative high-end nature experience products, such as "Night Detective" and "Golden Monkey Patrol", which received an enthusiastic market response.

According to data from the Department of Commerce, major consumption hubs across the province, including commercial districts, shopping centers, and pedestrian streets, catered to holiday consumption demand and drew large crowds through means such as creating immersive scenarios and offering discounts. The 411 surveyed retail enterprises recorded sales of 2.78 billion yuan during the Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 10.9 percent. Across the province, 120 new consumption scenarios attracted over 56 million visits and generated more than 4.6 billion yuan in sales, reflecting strong consumer enthusiasm.

Soaring Demand, Sustained Support—Consumer Policies Deliver Real Benefits

This Spring Festival holiday, Sichuan gave consumers a New Year gift pack they could really bank on—a package of real financial benefits. A series of policy incentives, including consumer goods trade-in programs and the invoice lottery scheme, continued to fuel robust consumer demand, especially for green, smart, and health-related products.

The trade-in market was ablaze. Before the holiday, Sichuan issued detailed subsidy rules for the consumer goods trade-in programs covering automobiles, home appliances, and digital and smart products. During the Spring Festival, the province tilted support toward offline retail enterprises and county-level consumer markets, with a focus on meeting the replacement needs of people returning to their hometowns. Cities across the province also layered multiple discounts, including national subsidies and brand promotions, to ignite consumer enthusiasm.

As of February 22, Sichuan had processed 1.181 million trade-ins of home appliances, with subsidies totaling 660 million yuan driving 4.53 billion yuan in consumption—up 20 percent, 3 percent, and 33 percent year on year, respectively. In the digital and smart product category, 1.817 million new items were purchased, supported by 670 million yuan in subsidies and generating 5.44 billion yuan in consumption—up 69 percent, 69 percent, and 70 percent year on year. Sales of home appliances and communication equipment at key monitored retailers rose by 5 percent year on year. A total of 25,600 vehicles were traded in under the program, driving 4.396 billion yuan in consumption.

Chengdu and Luzhou launched invoice lottery pilots, offering consumers who spend 100 yuan or more at hotels, restaurants, and other participating businesses a chance to win prizes of up to 800 yuan by uploading their invoices. During the Spring Festival holiday, Chengdu allocated 21 million yuan for its invoice lottery campaign, which attracted 1.139 million participants and saw over 2.417 million invoices uploaded, driving 1.13 billion yuan in consumption.

Sichuan also held over 170 exclusive consumption-promotion events targeting people returning to their hometowns. It launched the "Relax in Sichuan · Enjoy Reunion" Spring Festival gift package for those returning to their hometowns during the Spring Festival, which provided over 100 million yuan in total benefits.

Specialty Products Get a Makeover—Technology Becomes a Spring Festival Highlight

Powered by technology, AI-enhanced local specialties frequently hit the market, becoming a unique highlight of the Spring Festival consumption scene.

As one of the four host cities of the 2026 CMG Spring Festival Gala in this Year of the Horse, Yibin saw its popularity soar throughout the holiday. Many visitors took advantage of Yibin's campaign to redeem high-speed rail ticket stubs for vouchers, which they used to purchase quite a number of high-tech products. At a digital home appliance store in YIBIN PLACE BY MIXC, tech-themed New Year gifts such as smart glasses and smart robot toys became hot sellers.

As China's Science and Technology City, Mianyang has seen its tech-infused local products frequently hit the market, enlivening various scenarios. At Fantawild Oriental Heritage in Mianyang, drone light shows illuminated the night sky, boosting the local night economy. Meanwhile, at the Liangdancheng scenic area in Zitong County, Mianyang, intelligent robots and robotic dogs became a staple of performances and activities.

During the Spring Festival holiday, a series of favorable policies, combined with the appeal of the "Panda IP + Sichuan-style New Year customs + direct flight routes", drew crowds of international visitors celebrating the Chinese New Year across Sichuan. On the first day of the first lunar month, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport welcomed over 60 inbound flights in quick succession, ranking among the busiest airports nationwide. Chengdu ranked fourth among the nation's most popular cities for inbound consumption. Spring Festival lantern shows, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and traditional opera performances became essential parts of the Chinese New Year experience for foreign tourists. Ice and snow tourism also proved popular among international visitors. Xiling Snow Mountain Scenic Area received over 10,000 inbound trips, a threefold increase year on year. Data shows that Chengdu welcomed 77,000 inbound tourist visits during the Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 47.2 percent.

According to platform data, during the Spring Festival holiday, Chengdu ranked among the top three "first-stop cities" for inbound tourists. In addition, the number of tourists from other provinces visiting Sichuan saw significant growth. According to third-party big data from China UnionPay Merchant Services Payment Inc., out-of-province visitors to Sichuan spent a total of 31.088 billion yuan offline during the Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 14.05 percent. The total number of transactions reached 87.1601 million, up 9.45 percent year on year. Tourists from Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces ranked among the top three in terms of spending in Sichuan.