BUSINESS

China Forecasts Overseas Travel Spike During Dragon Boat Festival

Published: May. 29, 2025 7:56 p.m. GMT+8

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The inaugural flight of the Beijing-Vladivostok route lands at Vladivostok International Airport in Russia on March 31. Photo: Xinhua

China has predicted a jump in cross-border travel during the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival, while domestic airfares are expected to remain steady for the second public holiday in row, signaling sustained recovery in post-pandemic travel demand.

The National Immigration Administration has forecast an average of 2.15 million daily cross-border trips during the three-day break starting May 31 — up 12.2% from the same period in 2024 and surpassing 2019 levels, state media reported Wednesday.

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China expects 2.15 million daily cross-border trips during the Dragon Boat Festival, up 12.2% from last year and surpassing 2019 levels.
Inbound travel and flight bookings to the mainland have risen, aided by expanded visa-free policies; hotel searches by foreigners doubled compared to 2023.
Domestic flight bookings increased slightly, with bare economy fares up 7.73% to 583 yuan, while average ticket prices including tax remain steady.

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Who’s Who

Flight Master: Flight Master is a travel data provider mentioned in the article. It reported that, as of Monday, the average bare fare for economy-class seats on domestic flights during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday rose 7.73% to 583 yuan ($81), while the average price including tax dipped slightly by 0.55% to 647 yuan.

Trip.com Group Ltd.: Trip.com Group Ltd. is a travel service provider mentioned in the article for its travel data insights. During the Dragon Boat Festival, Trip.com reported doubled hotel searches for trips to mainland China compared to the previous year and noted a 23% increase in bookings for short-distance domestic trips over the holiday period, highlighting strong travel demand.

Umetrip: Umetrip is a flight-tracking and travel data platform mentioned in the article. It provides data on flight bookings and airfare trends, such as the reported 19% increase in bookings for international flights and monitoring of domestic bookings and bare fares during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

China Railway Shanghai Group Co. Ltd.: China Railway Shanghai Group Co. Ltd. expects to handle over 3.8 million passenger trips on May 31 during the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. This could potentially set a daily traffic record for the company during the holiday period, reflecting the surge in travel demand.

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What Happened When

May 27, 2025：: By this date, bare fares for economy-class seats on domestic flights for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday rose 7.73% to an average of 583 yuan, according to Flight Master.

May 28, 2025：: As of this date, Umetrip recorded over 2.93 million domestic flight bookings for the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, a slight increase from the same period in 2024.

May 29, 2025：: State media reported that the National Immigration Administration forecasted an average of 2.15 million daily cross-border trips during the upcoming three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.

AI generated, for reference only