Economic woes not a deal breaker as China's Lunar New Year travel rush kicks off
The annual travel rush for China’s Lunar New Year celebrations officially began on Tuesday, with many reuniting with family or taking a holiday.
BEIJING — The annual travel rush for China’s Lunar New Year celebrations officially began on Tuesday, with many taking a mental break from their worries about the future to reunite with family or take a holiday.
The peak travel season in the world’s second-largest economy kicked off with a train departing from Beijing minutes after midnight, taking early bird travelers from the capital to Hefei in eastern Anhui province.
Most people aim to be with family for the traditional reunion dinner on the eve of the New Year, which falls on Jan. 29 this year.
The 40-day travel season will continue until Feb. 22, during which authorities estimate a record 9 billion domestic trips will be made. The forecast matches 2024’s estimate, although only 8.4 billion trips were actually made during last year’s festivities.
Railway passenger volume is expected to exceed 510 million passengers, while more than 90 million passengers are expected to fly. However, the number of journeys by private vehicle is expected to reach 7.2 billion trips, or about 80% of the total domestic passenger flow, national television broadcaster CCTV said.
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