BUSINESS

China Forecasts Record 9.5 Billion Trips During Spring Festival Travel Rush

Published: Feb. 3, 2026 12:52 p.m. GMT+8

00:00

00:00/00:00

Listen to this article 1x

Passengers prepare to board a high-speed train at Nanjing South Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Monday. Photo: VCG

China on Monday launched its annual Spring Festival travel rush, forecasting a record 9.5 billion cross-regional trips nationwide over the 40-day period.

While the projected volume marks a 5.32% increase from the previous year, the pace has slowed compared with the 7.1% rebound seen in 2025. The migration, known as “chunyun,” runs through March 13 and includes a nine-day Lunar New Year holiday.

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Subscribe to both Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal — for the price of one.

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

DIGEST HUB

Digest Hub

Back

Explore the story in 30 seconds

China expects a record 9.5 billion cross-regional trips during the 2024 Spring Festival travel rush, a 5.32% increase from 2023.
Personal vehicles will account for about 80% of trips; rail and air travel are set to reach 540 million and 95 million trips, both record highs.
Highway charging infrastructure for electric cars grew to 71,500 stations, and the international aviation market is projected to reach 90% of 2019 levels.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

China State Railway Group Co. Ltd.: China State Railway Group Co. Ltd. (中国国家铁路集团有限公司) has implemented measures to manage the surge in Spring Festival travel. This includes utilizing 50 new passenger stations and over 3,000 kilometers of new rail lines. They also introduced a flexible refund policy and deep discounts on less popular routes to balance demand during the peak travel period.

Flight Master: Flight Master is an industry tracker that provides data on the aviation sector. It reported that the average price for a domestic economy ticket during China's Spring Festival travel rush fell 1.8% year-on-year to 959 yuan ($138). Flight Master data also indicated that while international travel is recovering, factors like weak demand from Japan and constraints in the North American market are holding back full recovery.

Qunar: Qunar is an online travel agency. It forecasts that the first major wave of departures during China's annual Spring Festival travel rush will occur on February 7th. This rush is expected to be driven by a combination of people returning home, students taking breaks, and leisure travelers.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

By the end of 2025：: China had installed 71,500 charging guns at highway service areas.

2026-02-03：: China launched its annual Spring Festival travel rush, forecasting a record 9.5 billion cross-regional trips nationwide over the 40-day period.

AI generated, for reference only