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China’s Lunar New Year trips top 42 million on day 8 as post zero-Covid travel takes off
- Numbers up by 57 per cent from comparable day in 2022, with Ministry of Transport expecting more than 2 billion to travel over 40-day holiday season
- Analysts advise cautious optimism, as infection fears and pandemic-induced cost constraints weigh on travel and other economic activity
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China reported more than 42 million domestic passenger trips on Saturday, amid a surge in Lunar New Year holiday travel following the lifting of the country’s last Covid-19 restrictions.
Saturday marked the eighth day of a 40-day Lunar New Year travel period called chun yun and known as the world’s largest annual people migration – when millions of Chinese travel back to their hometowns for family reunions.
This Lunar New Year holiday, which officially runs from January 21 to 27, will be the first since 2020 without domestic travel restrictions.
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A total of 42.27 million people travelled by rail, road, sea and air across the country on January 14, an increase of 57 per cent from the comparable day in 2022, the Ministry of Transport said.
This comes amid a sustained rebound in economic activity following China’s abrupt abandonment of its “zero-Covid” policy last month.
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