6.5 million Chinese tourists to travel abroad this Lunar New Year
Outbound tourism during the holiday is expected to rise by 5.7 per cent over 2017
Chinese people are breaking with tradition as celebrations get under way this Lunar New Year. Family reunions are increasingly being replaced by outings and trips to scenic spots, or places of interest in neighbouring provinces.
Xie Zhiwei, 44, a middle manager at a state-owned home builder in Shanghai, said deciding to take his family to Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on Thursday, was “a big leap of faith”.
“In my dictionary, outings during the Spring Festival are something akin to a taboo,” he said. “During the most important festival in China, all we need to do is stay with the parents and relatives at home, to enjoy a family reunion. We are not supposed to do anything else.”
Xie is among 6.5 million mainland Chinese tourists who will travel abroad in the week-long holiday that runs through February 20.
According to a report published jointly by Ctrip, the mainland’s largest online travel agency, and China Tourism Academy, a research institution under the China National Tourism Administration, the number of outbound tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday is expected to rise by 5.7 per cent from 2017 to hit an all-time high of 6.5 million this year.
Just a decade ago, Lunar New Year – a festival steeped in tradition – represented high season for businesses such as restaurants, shops, garment makers and food processors.
“Those days are now history,” said Xie. “Economic growth and rising incomes have played a vital role in reshaping the festival.”