China’s annual Lunar New Year travel period, also known as Chunyun season, is a time when people plan family reunions or long-term travel.
This year, Chun Yun in China begins on January 14 and lasts 40 days, ending on February 22. The surge in traffic at this time is also often seen as a measure of the health of the Chinese economy, as well as a test for the country’s transportation infrastructure, according to Reuters.
Passengers wait for a train at the station in Beijing, China on January 14
Record number of trips
Chinese authorities predict there will be 9 billion domestic trips during the 40-day Chunyun period, a record number and up from about 8.4 billion trips recorded last year. The Chinese Ministry of Transport has updated the calculation method in recent years, according to which traffic on major highways has also been included in statistics.
Self-driving is expected to be the most popular mode of travel during the Chunyun period and could record 7.2 billion trips this year, accounting for 80% of traffic across all modes of travel, followed by trains and airplanes. Travel by train is expected to reach a record of 510 million, up 5.5% over the same period last year, while by plane is 90 million. Hoan Cau Times newspaper On January 20, it was reported that after the first week of Chunyun 2025, China recorded more than 1 billion trips.
In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, China recorded nearly 3 billion movements during Chunyun.
Top destinations for those who choose to fly include the cities of Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing, Harbin and Xi’an. Meanwhile, the cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Wuhan are popular stops for train commuters. International flights to Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand) and Singapore also recorded an increase in demand.
The station in Shanghai, China is crowded with customers during the Lunar New Year on February 7, 2024.
Tourism stimulus policy
People in China have many travel options this year when they have 8 days off during the Lunar New Year, from January 28 to February 4. Meanwhile, as part of its efforts to attract international visitors, China has expanded its visa-free policy to 38 countries and doubled the length of stay to 30 days. Eligible transiting foreign tourists can apply to stay for up to 10 days, up from the previous maximum of 6 days.
CCTV said that during this year’s Lunar New Year, China will continue to waive road use fees on highways for cars with a maximum of 7 seats. The policy of exempting highway use fees during holidays and New Year has been officially implemented by China since 2012, to reduce congestion and encourage people to travel by themselves.
In addition to the bustling travel demand, increased consumer demand during the holidays also boosted the number of orders during Tet. Hoan Cau Times newspaper Citing statistics from the China Postal Administration, in the first 3 days of Chunyun, the average daily express delivery volume in China exceeded more than 670 million orders, an increase of 29% over the same period last year.
Chinese authorities have taken measures to boost domestic consumption. On January 13, China’s State Council (government) rolled out 18 measures to promote growth in the cultural and tourism sectors, including rolling out shopping vouchers and introducing more products. culture and tourism suitable for the elderly and optimization of domestic tourism policies.
