13.5 million individuals have either traveled to or from China during the Spring Festival holiday in 2024, as reported by the National Immigration Administration (NIA) of the country.
The disclosed data indicates a nearly triple increase compared to the previous year and is almost 90 percent of the figures recorded in 2019 before the onset of the pandemic. On a daily basis, an estimated 1.7 million people were in transit, according to VisaGuide.World.
Border authorities conducted inspections on 459,000 vehicles crossing the borders, reflecting a 1.6-fold rise from the previous year. The majority of travelers entered or exited through land ports that link Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, constituting 73.1 percent of total journeys.
Internal tourism flourished during the festive season, witnessing 474 million trips, marking a 34.3 percent surge from the previous year. The expenditure surpassed CNY 632.6 billion, showing an increase of nearly 50 percent.
As per NIA statistics, a total of 1.857 million passengers were registered in a single day during the Spring Festival period.
Significant Increase in Passenger Traffic at Zhuhai & Shenzhen Ports
Three ports in the Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao regions experienced notable activity. Zhuhai Gongbei averaged 260,000 passengers daily, while Shenzhen Luohu and Shenzhen Futian saw 187,000 and 158,000 passengers respectively.
At Zhuhai’s Gongbei Port, over 2.08 million individuals traveled between Zhuhai and Macau in the initial eight days of the holiday, marking a surge of over 60 percent from the previous year. On the peak day, more than 280,000 passengers commuted. Cross-border tourists represented 40 percent of all travelers, indicating a substantial 221 percent increase.
The airports also witnessed a significant influx of passengers. Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou Baiyun, and Beijing Capital International airports reported an average daily footfall of 88,000, 37,000, and 34,000 passengers respectively. These numbers escalated by 4.9 times, 6.2 times, and 7.5 times compared to the previous year’s Spring Festival.
Platforms facilitating self-driving experiences, such as Zuzuche, are enhancing the popularity of lesser-known international destinations among Chinese tourists. This Spring Festival, the volume of self-driving tourists heading abroad escalated by a remarkable 1556 percent from the previous year. Notably, destinations like Christchurch, Tromso, Gold Coast, Hobart, Abu Dhabi, Langkawi, Seville, and Riyadh witnessed substantial growth. For instance, Christchurch experienced an 89-fold increase in tourists, Gold Coast 67 times more, Tromso 58 times more, and Abu Dhabi 85 times more.
Singapore, Malaysia, & Thailand Lead Spring Festival Travel Trends in China
During the Spring Festival holiday, a growing number of individuals opted to visit visa-free countries such as Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. The tourist influx in these nations surged by over 30 percent compared to 2019.
The top ten destinations during the holiday season included Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Korea, the United States, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the United Arab Emirates, with Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand ranking among the top three.
Long-distance travel witnessed a substantial rise during the Spring Festival. Data from Ctrip revealed that family trips and vacations with children became prevalent, constituting 45 percent and 16 percent of bookings respectively. Nearly 58 percent of overseas journeys were family-oriented, with family flight reservations soaring by 80 percent compared to the previous year.