China's railway expected to handle 74 mln passenger trips during Mid-Autumn Festival

China's national railway is expected to handle 74 million passenger trips during the five-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday transportation period, which starts Saturday, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

This year's holiday, which lasts for three days from Sunday, will see a blend of tourism, family visits and student travel, resulting in a consistently high railway passenger flow, according to the railway department.

Monday is expected to be the peak travel day, with an estimated 16.8 million passenger trips.

To accommodate the surge, the national railway plans to run an average of over 11,100 passenger trains daily - an increase of more than 590 trains compared to normal operations.

Between Chengdu, Chongqing and Guiyang cities, all popular tourist destinations in southwest China, railway departments are operating special slow-speed trains. The carriages are decorated with Mid-Autumn Festival elements, and local villagers bring their own fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products to sell on board.

Civil aviation operations are relatively stable on Saturday, with the Civil Aviation Administration of China anticipating a total of 17,847 flights and 2.19 million passengers. This marks an increase of about 1,000 flights compared to normal operations.

Popular routes are concentrated between the four major city clusters: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.

Airports in other autumn tourism destinations such as Jiayuguan are also expected to see a significant year-on-year increase in throughput.

In terms of outbound travel, cities in neighboring countries such as Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul are relatively popular destinations.

Beijing Capital International Airport on Saturday recorded a passenger flow of about 194,800, with 1,213 flights taking off and landing. The passenger flow is expected to reach 194,500 people on Wednesday, with 1,198 flights scheduled.

On Saturday, the last working day before the holiday, road traffic pressure in Beijing becomes more intense.

The evening rush hour began at 15:00, and forecasts indicate it will extend further. Currently, the traffic congestion will persist until around 20:00, particularly in busy business districts and dining areas.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the night when the moon reaches its fullest and brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar. This year, the day falls on Sept 17. During the festival, families reunite, admire the moon, share mooncakes and light up lanterns.

China's railway expected to handle 74 mln passenger trips during Mid-Autumn Festival

China has seen a notable rise in cultural tourism and inbound travel over Mid-Autumn Festival period, which shows increased interests in both cultural and natural sceneries.

The time-honored Mid-Autumn Festival has always featured family reunions since ancient times, summoning people's craving for traveling vast distances to be with their families and loved ones.

According to China Mobile's Wutong Big Data, the average distance traveled for family reunion was 253 kilometers during this year's holiday that ran from Sept 15 to 17. Short-distance trips of under 200 kilometers were most common, comprising 63 percent of the total, while 27 percent of travelers journeyed between 200 and 500 kilometers, and 10 percent traveled over 500 kilometers, indicating a strong preference for shorter, more manageable trips among holidaymakers.

In addition to family reunions, the popularity of traditional activities such as moon gazing and lantern shows continued to rise. Themed night tours featuring lantern displays attracted significant attention to notable spots such as the Beijing Garden Expo Park, Guangzhou Cultural Park, Luogang Park in Hefei, Songgai Ancient Town in Chongqing, and Meiyuan Hengshan Scenic Area in Wuxi.

The holiday also marked a rise in inbound tourism, with a 22 percent increase in international visitors compared with last year. Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa are the regions with the largest climb in inbound tourists.

The provinces of Shanxi, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, and Hunan experienced the highest increases in international arrivals, with some even more than doubling the numbers of the previous year.

As China continues to expand its tourism appeal, the upward trends in travel and cultural engagement are set to continue into future holiday seasons.

China sees surge in tourism market during Mid-Autumn Festival