January 13 2025  |  Industry News

China anticipates record Lunar New Year travel

By Wendy Morley


The extended holiday period is expected to generate 9 billion trips

China is preparing for an unprecedented travel season during the 2025 Lunar New Year, with projections indicating 9 billion trips – a 7% increase from 2024. The surge follows the General Office of the State Council's decision to extend the holiday to eight days, running January 28 through February 4.

Travel platform Ctrip reports that 65% of surveyed travelers plan to spend the festival away from their hometowns, representing a 24% year-on-year increase. While the official Spring Festival begins January 28, the broader travel period spans 40 days from January 14 to February 22.

China Railway Group anticipates over 510 million passenger trips during this period. The company will increase services to 14,100 daily trains before the holiday and 14,200 afterward - up 3.9% and 4.3% respectively from last year. Major routes including Beijing-Shanghai and Guangzhou-Shenzhen will feature expanded overnight high-speed services.

The Civil Aviation Administration forecasts 90 million passenger trips, with daily flights increasing 8.4% above 2024 levels to approximately 18,500. Road travel remains dominant with a projected 7.2 billion trips.

Domestic destinations continue to lead bookings, with major cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu maintaining their popularity. Winter tourism hub Harbin has seen bookings double compared to last year, while provincial regions like Yunnan report above-average growth driven by cultural tourism interest.

International travel is gradually recovering, supported by reduced airfares and relaxed visa requirements. Short-haul destinations within the “four-hour flight circle,” Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore currently lead bookings. The extended holiday has also sparked interest in longer-haul destinations, with Hungary, Austria and Saudi Arabia showing strong growth.

Industry observers suggest the expanded holiday period and changing travel patterns could lead to sustained diversification of both domestic and international tourism, prompting travel providers to develop new offerings for evolving consumer preferences.

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