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Alyssa Chen

Chinese transport authorities were bracing for the busy Lunar New Year travel period to reach its peak on Friday, as holidaymakers make their way home at the end of the break.
On Thursday alone, travellers made 315 million “cross-regional” trips by train, plane, bus, car and boat, according to the Ministry of Transport. That was up from 306 million on Wednesday and 301 million on Tuesday.
More than 1,200 extra train services have been added across the country to cope with the increased passenger numbers, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Friday.


Airports are also busy, with more than 2.35 million flights booked for Friday across China – the most of any day in the coming week, according to the civil aviation authority.
The Lunar New Year is China’s biggest holiday and this year runs for eight days instead of seven, as authorities try to boost domestic tourism and the sluggish economy. The holiday – which ends on Saturday – falls within a 40-day festive travel period, a time when millions make the pilgrimage to their hometowns to see family.
After the break, many travellers will be returning to the country’s more developed, affluent cities such as the capital, Beijing, as well as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, according to Qunar, one of China’s biggest online travel agencies. Wuhan, Changsha and Hangzhou were also among the popular destinations for returning travellers.
China dad flies daughter, 7, home for Lunar New Year in plane, beats traffic
In the Yangtze River Delta region, an economic powerhouse, more train services have been added for cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xuzhou to cope with the end-of-holiday rush, according to media reports in Shanghai. Travellers were expected to take some 2.55 million railway trips in the region on Friday.
Meanwhile, first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shenzhen have extended service hours for their subway systems in preparation for the large numbers of travellers heading home.
Chartered planes and trains have also been arranged for some migrant workers who returned to their hometowns for the break, bringing them back to cities including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wenzhou, according to state media reports.


Many Chinese travellers have flocked to the tropical island of Hainan in the south or “ice city” Harbin in the northeast this Lunar New Year holiday, and their airports were expected to be packed to capacity on Friday.
Some 120,000 trips were expected through the airport in Haikou, the capital of Hainan, and 90,000 at Harbin’s airport, according to local media reports.
The influx of tourists in Hainan over the holiday period has meant those who did not book a return journey are finding it hard to get a plane ticket, with some having to pay for business class to get home. With many travellers stranded, the civil aviation authority is talking to the airlines to put on more flights out of Hainan.
Motorists are also finding it hard to leave the island, with ferry services from all three ports in Haikou temporarily suspended at midnight on Friday due to heavy fog. They were back up and running at around 8am, but there were long waits for cars to get on ferries at the ports. There have also been complaints of ticket shortages for the ferries, prompting the authorities to arrange extra services for people travelling by car in the coming days.
Year of the Dragon may spark short-lived interest in lizards as pets in Hong Kong
This year’s Lunar New Year break has seen a surge in travel compared to 2023. According to the railway authorities, 230 million train trips were taken in the peak travel period from January 26 to February 14.
Some 480 million trips are expected over the whole 40-day travel season – far more than the 348 million recorded in 2023 and the 410 million trips in 2019, before the pandemic.


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Tourism

China’s Lunar New Year travel rush: extra trains, packed airports and stranded tourists

Chinese travellers are on the move as the Lunar New Year holiday draws to a close. Photo: EPA-EFE

Visitors to China’s tourist spots spike during Lunar New Year as country aims to revive post-Covid travel sector

Tourists take selfies with a lantern in the resort city of Sanya in China’s Hainan province on February 5. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese tourists visiting popular island resort Hainan caught out by return ticket shortages amid Lunar New Year travel rush

A crowded beach in Hainan earlier this month. Some travellers said they had been caught out by the high numbers travelling to the island, one of China’s main destinations. Photo: Xinhua

Authorities are working to lay on more ferry services and flights. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese travellers back with a roar in Year of the Dragon, with 195 million trips marking Lunar New Year’s Eve

A packed railway station in Hangzhou, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, as China rings in the Year of the Dragon. Photo: Chinatopix via AP

Traditional Chinese dragon dancers perform in front of the London Eye, lit up in red to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Photo: Xinhua

To curb Lunar New Year economic lull, Shanghai hires planes, trains and automobiles to bring workers back

China’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday includes the world’s largest human migration. Photo: AFP

China’s weeklong Lunar New Year holiday features the world’s largest human migration. Photo: Xinhua

Why for some Chinese, ninth day of Lunar New Year is the most important: it’s the day they worship the Jade Emperor – and sugar cane is involved

A worshipper prays to the Jade Emperor or Lord of Heaven at a temple in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam. People from China’s Fujian province and neighbouring regions, and their descendants in the Chinese diaspora, offer tributes to the deity on the ninth day of Chinese New Year, the Jade Emperor’s birthday. Photo: Getty Images

The worship of the Jade Emperor by Chinese people in Fujian province, and those from neighbouring regions, involves offerings of long stalks of sugar cane (above). Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Customers buy sugar cane stalks at a market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in preparation for their offering of prayers to the Lord of Heaven on the ninth day of Chinese New Year. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Politics

Over 1,200 train services have been added to cope with passenger numbers as people head home after the holiday, state broadcaster says
On Friday, more than 2.35 million flights were booked – the most of any day in the coming week, according to the civil aviation authority


Over 1,200 train services have been added to cope with passenger numbers as people head home after the holiday, state broadcaster says.


Lunar New Year

China’s Lunar New Year travel rush: extra trains, packed airports and stranded tourists

Over 1,200 train services have been added to cope with passenger numbers as people head home after the holiday, state broadcaster says On Friday, more than 2.35 million flights were booked – the most of any day in the coming week, according to the civil aviation authority

Over 1,200 train services have been added to cope with passenger numbers as people head home after the holiday, state broadcaster says

On Friday, more than 2.35 million flights were booked – the most of any day in the coming week, according to the civil aviation authority