China rolls out vouchers and a 10 billion yuan lottery to lift Spring Festival spending

China has launched a nationwide push to encourage consumers to spend more during the upcoming nine-day Spring Festival holiday, rolling out vouchers, subsidies, cash incentives and a new invoice-based lottery as policymakers try to revive weak domestic demand.

Local governments have already allocated 2.05 billion yuan for the holiday consumption drive, according to Vice-Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping, who outlined the measures at a media briefing on Feb 11. The holiday period starts on Feb 15, according to state media.

Spring Festival spending campaign targets broad sectors

Sheng described the initiative as a coordinated effort involving multiple government departments and business associations, with measures covering dining, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment.

Local authorities will distribute consumption vouchers, subsidies and digital “red packet” cash incentives during the holiday, he said.

The latest campaign follows policy signals from China’s top annual economic planning meeting in December 2025, which again placed expanding domestic demand — particularly household consumption — at the top of the economic agenda for 2026.

Invoice lottery to run in 50 cities

A central feature of the campaign is a new invoice lottery that will be piloted in 50 cities, according to the Commerce Ministry briefing and separate government briefings.

Consumers who obtain invoices worth at least 100 yuan from eligible spending — including shopping, dining, tourism and accommodation — will be able to take part, Sheng said.

More than 1 billion yuan in prize money is due to be distributed during the nine-day holiday alone, with plans to expand the total prize pool to 10 billion yuan over a broader six-month period, he added. State-owned broadcaster CGTN reported the maximum prize for a single winning invoice is 800 yuan.

Part of wider effort to shore up domestic demand

The Spring Festival measures come as policymakers attempt to counter soft consumer sentiment and uneven growth, with analysts warning that short-term incentives may have limited impact without a sustained improvement in income and employment prospects.

In parallel, China’s central bank has pledged to step up financial support aimed at boosting domestic demand, including support for services consumption, in a recent monetary policy report, Reuters reported earlier this week.

The holiday campaign will run through the Spring Festival period and continue with follow-on measures in participating cities as the six-month lottery programme is implemented.