China’s Ministry of Transport has reported that the number of passenger trips reached 35.3 million on the fifth day of the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday, up 73% from the previous year. Despite the increase, travel is still 38.2% below pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019.
According to the report, 8.59 million train trips were made, a 73.6% year-on-year increase, and 24.35 million road trips, a 72.5% year-on-year increase. There was also a 70.3% increase in air travel and a 102.3% increase in water travel.
The Chinese New Year, which fell on January 22 this year, is a traditional time for people to spend with family members. However, in the past two years, the majority of Chinese people did not travel during the festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, changes in the country’s disease prevention and control measures, including the shift from Class A to Class B anti-infectious disease measures, have led to an increase in travel demand. Under Class B measures, travelers do not need to present health codes or negative nucleic acid test results, or pass body temperature checks while entering train stations and airports.