China expects 9 billion trips during spring travel season

Chinese travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday is expected to set a new record of 9 billion trips, nearly double last year.

China began the " world's largest migration" on January 26, 15 days before the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. The wave of travel each spring in China is also called "chunyun". This year's Chunyun lasts about 40 days, expected to set a record with 9 billion trips, nearly double the same period last year.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese are expected to return home to reunite with family and friends. This year, the Lunar New Year holiday runs from February 10 to February 17, one day longer than in 2023. This will put pressure on the national transport system as the need for family reunions coincides with increased demand for travel .

Li Yang, Vice Minister of Transport of China, estimated that about 7.2 billion trips by car and 480 million trips by rail during this peak period - increases of 38% and 18% respectively compared to 2019. On January 26 alone, an estimated 10.6 million passengers traveled by train.

Air travel is forecast to see around 80 million trips, up 9.8% from 2019. Two airports in Shanghai are forecast to see passenger traffic increase by 57.6% year-on-year, while those in Beijing are forecast to see a rise of more than 60%.

Passengers wait for a train at Hefei South Railway Station on January 26. Photo: Xinhua — Passengers wait for a train at Hefei South Railway Station on January 26. Photo: *Xinhua*

The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad is likely to increase compared to last year as Chinese airlines have added more than 2,500 international flights during the Lunar New Year holiday. Trip.com Group said that Chinese outbound travel bookings during the holiday are 10 times higher than in 2023. The most popular destinations include Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

In addition, China and Singapore also approved a bilateral visa exemption from January 25, and the policy took effect from February 9 - just before the Lunar New Year. According to online travel platform Qunar, searches for hotels in Singapore increased fourfold after the decision. Meanwhile, Tong Cheng Travel confirmed that searches for Singapore on its platform increased 340% within an hour of the visa exemption policy being announced.

For domestic tourism, winter destinations are the top choice for Chinese tourists. Trip.com data shows that searches for winter travel products have increased 10 times compared to the same period last year, notably Harbin in Heilongjiang province.

Hoai Anh (According to Xinhua News Agency )

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