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On January 26th, 15 days before the Lunar New Year, China officially enters the "Spring Festival travel rush," a time when people return home to reunite with their families and flock to tourist destinations.
According to the country's Ministry of Transport, an estimated 9 billion trips could be made during the peak travel period of the Spring Festival in 2024.
Of those, approximately 80% of the 7.2 billion trips will be made by self-driving vehicles, and 1.8 billion trips will be made via rail, highways, waterways, and civil aviation, according to China's Ministry of Transport.
China's railway operator said the country's railways are expected to handle 480 million passenger journeys this travel season, averaging 12 million per day, a 37.9% increase year-on-year. Approximately 10.6 million trains are expected to operate on Friday, the first day of the peak travel period.
With record-high migration levels underway, the 2024 Spring Festival holiday will see not only an astonishing number of migrants but also a strong recovery in the tourism market, providing new impetus to China's economic recovery.
Passengers line up to check in at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China.
According to Beijing China Railway Group Limited, the company expects to handle 39.13 million passenger journeys during the peak Spring Festival travel season, a 14.1% increase compared to 2019. On January 12 alone, China's railway system saw a surge in ticket sales, with approximately 230 million tickets sold, a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
In addition, Haikou International Airport in Hainan, a leading tourist city in China, is also rapidly preparing to increase its operations. According to authorities, the airport is expected to handle approximately 24,708 flights, a 19.1% increase compared to the same period last year. These flights are expected to serve around 3.63 million passengers, a 17.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chinese airlines plan to add more than 2,500 flights during the 40-day "Spring Festival travel rush," catering to international travel demand to destinations in Southeast Asia, Japan, South Korea, and other neighboring regions.
Besides the eager return of citizens to their homes for the Lunar New Year, the country's tourism industry is also experiencing a strong resurgence, with train stations and airports bustling with tourists.
According to research from the major online travel company Tong Cheng, snow and ice tourism is a top trend in China, with Harbin being the most popular destination for the 2024 Spring Festival holiday.
Data from Chinese travel platforms reveals that, as of January 21st, the number of bookings for Harbin between February 9th and 17th has surged by approximately seven times compared to the same period last year.
Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, predicts that in 2024, China will have more than 6 billion domestic tourist trips, generating a massive revenue of over $844.19 billion.
Furthermore, the Lunar New Year holiday has also stimulated the enthusiasm for overseas travel among the country's citizens. The daily international and regional passenger traffic at Beijing Capital International Airport is estimated at around 35,000, with a projected total of 1.413 million passengers. In particular, with the implementation of reciprocal visa policies between China and several countries, the country's outbound tourism sector is poised to enter its peak season.
