'2.3 Billion' on the Move... Chinese Flock to Korea and Japan During Holiday

Average Daily Travelers Up 3.2 Percent
Nearly 300 Million Trips Expected Per Day

During China's largest golden holiday, the National Day holiday, it is expected that the total number of trips will exceed 2.3 billion.

In 2021, Hangzhou Train Station was bustling with a large crowd. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to state-run China Central Television (CCTV), the Ministry of Transport of China announced on the 28th that the total number of trips during this year's National Day holiday, which runs from October 1 to 8, is expected to reach 2.36 billion. This figure represents the cumulative number of trips, meaning that repeated trips by the same person are counted multiple times. The average daily number of travelers is projected to be 295 million, a 3.2% increase compared to the same period last year (286 million).

In particular, travel by private car is expected to account for nearly 80% of the total. The Ministry of Transport anticipates that 1.87 billion trips will be made by private vehicles, and during peak periods at the beginning and end of the holiday, the number of vehicles on highways is estimated to reach 70 million per day. Of these, new energy vehicles such as electric cars are expected to account for 14 million.

Demand for both domestic and international tourism is also expected to rise significantly. Within China, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Chongqing are cited as popular destinations, while outbound travel is expected to increase to destinations such as Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.