The Great Migration: China's Lunar New Year Travel Rush

Chunyun, China's Lunar New Year travel rush, sees hundreds of millions traveling across the country. In 2024, it spans 40 days with 9 billion trips expected, highlighting its role in the transportation sector. A record 7.2 billion road trips form 80% of journeys, with expanded visa-free entry boosting travel.

China's Lunar New Year travel rush, known as Chunyun, marks the world's largest annual human migration. This year, the travel period has been extended to 40 days, starting on Tuesday and ending February 22, with the official Spring Festival holidays running from January 28 to February 4.

Officials anticipate a significant rise in domestic travel, projecting 9 billion trips, an increase from last year's 8.4 billion. This surge follows changes in transport metrics to include more road trips on national highways. During 2019, before the pandemic, 2.98 billion trips were recorded.

Road travel constitutes a majority of this movement, with an expected 7.2 billion road trips, accounting for 80% of all journeys. Rail and air travel also see increases, with 510 million and over 90 million trips expected, respectively. Popular destinations include major Chinese cities and international sites in Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. New policies, like the visa-free expansion, further fuel travel growth.

(With inputs from agencies.)