BEIJING: According to official media, China began its largest annual season of mass migration on Friday. During a 40-day travel frenzy around the Lunar New Year holidays, a record 9 billion domestic travels are anticipated.
That would be almost twice as many trips as were taken during the ‘Spring Festival travel rush’ in 2023, when the extremely stringent COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
The world’s largest mass migration occurs every year when millions of people return to their hometowns to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10 this year.
According to Chinese official television CCTV, almost 80% of the 9 billion journeys will be self-driving cars, setting new records in this regard. The other travels will be made by rail, air, and sea.
The primary means of transportation in China, trains, are expected to carry nearly 11 million passengers on Friday. Over the 40 days, 480 million journeys will be taken countrywide, up 17% from 2019 prior to the pandemic and 38% from 2023.
Travel by train and airplane both increased dramatically on the opening day of this year’s rush. Despite the fact that China is home to the largest high-speed network in the world, passengers had difficulty obtaining train tickets.
25-year-old cartoonist Miranda Guo from a Chinese technology company with headquarters in Hangzhou was fortunate to be able to board a bullet train and travel to Jinan. However, that was only after spending an extra 60 yuan (13% of the ticket price) on a “accelerator package” that independent booking applications offered.
“I believe it’s difficult to purchase a ticket this year, as nearly all of my colleagues were unable to do so. Guo stated that many of them are still on waiting lists.
According to CCTV, there will likely be two million air passenger travels on Friday. China’s aviation regulator predicts that during this year’s holiday rush, air traffic would reach 80 million, an increase of 9.8% from 2019.
Pudong and Hongqiao airports in Shanghai anticipate a 57.6% year-over-year increase in passenger traffic during the 40-day period, while Beijing’s airports anticipate a more than 60% increase.
The peak of travel will also see an increase in overseas travel.
More than 2,500 extra foreign flights to Asian locations, such as Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea, have been organized by China’s aviation authorities.
Popular domestic tourism destinations like Harbin in northeast China and Sanya, a well-liked tropical getaway in the south, are also served by additional trains and flights.
