People across China have been eager to spend the just-concluded Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Friday to Sunday traveling as the country rolls out a range of incentives and festive activities to support the culture and tourism market.
Data from the Ministry of Transport shows that about 650 million cross-regional trips are expected during the three-day holiday, averaging 220 million a day. The national railway network peaked in return passenger traffic on Sunday, with an estimated 16.86 million passenger trips. For road travel, more people chose self-drive short-distance trips and rural tourism.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, average daily sales at key retail and catering enterprises nationwide rose by 6.1 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Visitor flow and turnover in 78 pedestrian streets and business districts monitored by the ministry increased by 6.4 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. Sales of smart, eco-friendly, and health-oriented products surged; notably, sales of smart wearable devices on major platforms more than doubled, while sales of embodied AI robots, organic foods, and outdoor sports gear grew by 93.1 percent, 36.3 percent, and 30.2 percent, respectively.
In addition, during the holiday period, China’s 200 major wholesale markets for agricultural and sideline products maintained ample inventories, with prices for mutton and fruit remaining largely stable compared with pre-holiday levels.
China’s Mid-Autumn Festival holiday sees surge in tourism enthusiasm
Beijing Capital International Airport, a primary international and domestic aviation gateway for China, is expected to handle more than 1.66 million passenger trips during the upcoming week-long National Day holiday, with inbound and outbound traffic continuing to climb due to the country’s expanded visa-free policy.
According to airport authorities, the port is estimated to handle an average of over 230,000 passenger trips per day during the holiday period from Oct 1 to 7, as well as 9,448 flights, an average of 1,350 per day.
“For the holiday, travel demand to destinations like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Guiyang has been rising. The main popular international destinations include Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bali,” said airport officer Du Tao.
In the meantime, international passenger flow at Beijing’s customs remain at high levels, with the number of inbound and outbound travelers on constant increase.
“It is estimated that during the National Day holiday from October 1 to October 7, the number of traveler entries and exits at Beijing’s ports will reach 511,000, of which 385,000 are expected at Beijing Capital International Airport and 126,000 at Beijing Daxing International Airport,” said Yin Li, officer from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
Beijing Capital Airport to handle over 1.6 mln passenger trips during National Day holiday
