Record-high Lunar New Year rush of 9 billion trips expected

China's Spring Festival travel rush is set to begin next Tuesday, with an unprecedented total of 9 billion inter-regional trips anticipated.

The travel surge, starting from January 14 (Tue), will span 40 days, concluding on February 22, with the Year of the Snake starting on January 29.

Li Chunlin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated during a press conference today that they are prepared and have conducted research in anticipation of the busiest-ever Spring Festival travel rush, which is expected to see the number of inter-regional trips hit 9 billion.

During this period, rail and flight trips are expected to surpass previous records, reaching 510 million and 90 million, respectively.

The official also noted that passenger flows will be particularly high in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Authorities have projected that road trips will account for approximately 80 percent of the total, reaching 7.2 billion, with daily highway traffic anticipated to reach unprecedented levels.