🎉🚗 New Year’s Day kicked off with a travel boom on the Chinese mainland, where short to medium-distance trips became the go-to choice for holidaymakers.
The Chinese mainland’s Ministry of Transport forecasts expressways will see an average of 37 million vehicles per day during the 2026 New Year holiday, a 9% rise over last year. 📈
Deng Wen, a senior engineer at the ministry, says the trend is driven by the holiday’s length and winter weather, with many opting for self-driving tours within their home provinces to visit family and friends.
Passenger car traffic is expected to hit 30.8 million vehicles daily, up 22% from a typical weekday, as road trips rule the season.
Rail travel is also on fire: an estimated 77.8 million passenger trips nationwide between December 31 and January 4, with January 1 alone seeing 18.25 million rail journeys and 1,113 extra train services. 🚅
In the skies, domestic flight bookings jumped 28% year on year, while international bookings climbed about 14%, showing strong demand across all travel modes. ✈️
Whether you’re cruising highways or hopping on a train, the Chinese mainland’s New Year holiday is all about making memories close to home.
Reference(s):
Short-distance trips dominate New Year holiday travel in China
cgtn.com
