According to state-run Xinhua News Agency, the number of domestic passengers on Friday, the Lunar New Year’s Eve, increased by 26.7% compared to the same period last year, with 195.24 million trips made across all modes of transport.
Most of the traffic was on highways, where more than 184 million trips were made on Friday. According to the report, rail traffic nearly doubled to 8.2 million trips, while air passenger numbers rose by 137.7% to 1.8 million, an increase of almost 1.5 times.
China’s largest travel company Ctrip also reported an increase in transportation demand on Saturday. Ticket orders more than doubled from a year earlier at the start of the 2019 Chinese New Year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, Shanghai-based news outlet The Paper reported.
According to the report, southern, warmer destinations such as Hainan, Guangdong and Yunnan have become popular choices among vacationers from colder regions of northern China, while southerners prefer the snowier regions of the north. He was eager to reach a deeper destination.
Ctrip said bookings for Harbin in Heilongjiang province, a popular travel destination and home to the famous ice festival, have increased by 40 percent since the first day of last Lunar New Year.
China’s ice sculpture city Harbin experiences tourism boom due to post-COVID-19 recovery
China’s ice sculpture city Harbin experiences tourism boom due to post-COVID-19 recovery
Many of the Lunar New Year’s “meal and hotel accommodation” packages have also sold out, the site said. It added that requests for pet-friendly accommodations have increased by 72% over last year, and private reservations for hot springs hotels have increased by 46%.
Online booking service Dongcheng Travel said it recorded “increases in both volume and prices” for domestic flights, the paper said.
Ticket prices averaged nearly 1,000 yuan (about $140), about 20% higher than before the holiday season, also known as Chinese New Year, and bookings on popular routes were up 77% from last year, the company said. .
Immigration authorities around the world expect customs procedures for the Chinese New Year to be similar to the 2019 Spring Festival season. But Ctrip announced Saturday that outbound bookings are already higher than in the pre-pandemic year.
Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are among the most popular destinations for Chinese tourists, with travel orders on Ctrip increasing by 30% compared to the same period in 2019. All three countries have reciprocal visa-free agreements with China.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, landmarks from around the world join in the festivities, with the London Eye, Empire State Building, Sydney Opera House and Tokyo Tower all lit up in red to welcome the Year of the Dragon.
The annual Chinese New Year Gala TV celebration set a live broadcast record in China, with the event receiving a total of 1.689 billion views, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
Chinese box office, comedy-drama Pegasus 2 It led the pack in Saturday’s premiere, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing data from the China Film Data Information Network.
The film earned 416.23 million yuan on Saturday, but the Chinese comedy Yoro It was followed by box office revenue of 410.54 million yuan.