China's 2026 Spring Festival travel rush to begin
China’s annual Spring Festival travel rush will kick off on Monday, with the number of inter-regional trips expected to reach a record 9.5 billion, reports Qazinform News Agency, citing Xinhua.
Analysts attribute the surge in travel to overlapping demand for family reunions and tourism amid an extended holiday period.
According to Chinese authorities, road travel by private vehicles is projected to remain the dominant mode of transport, accounting for about 80 percent of all inter-regional journeys.
Passenger traffic on railways is forecast to total 540 million trips, while civil aviation is expected to handle around 95 million passengers. Both overall volumes and daily peak figures are anticipated to exceed previous records.
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, will be celebrated on February 17 this year. The official holiday spans nine days, while the travel rush is set to continue until March 13.
As the Spring Festival remains one of China’s most important occasions for family reunions, authorities are stepping up transport capacity, particularly at major hubs, to ensure safe and smooth travel during the peak period.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the Spring Festival, the social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional New Year, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
