Passengers wait to enter a subway outside Beijing Railway Station, after arriving by train to China’s capital during the Chinese Lunar New Year travel rush as the annual Spring Festival holidays end in Beijing, China. — Reuters photo
SHANGHAI: People in China made 415 million domestic trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, an increase of 7.6 per cent from the same period last year, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday as the week-long break drew to a close.
Domestic tourism during China’s biggest holiday generated revenue of 513.9 billion yuan (US$76.2 billion), an annual increase of 8.2 per cent, it said, citing the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Meanwhile, border crossings into and out of China rose 11 per cent from the same 2018 period to 12.53 million, with Chinese residents crossing the border for personal reasons 7.22 million times, up 16 per cent, Xinhua reported.
The robust growth in domestic and international travel and spending over the Lunar New Year period, or Spring Festival, underscores the rise of Chinese tourism and comes in spite of a slowing economy.
More than 6.2 million arrivals were recorded by border authorities during the week, an increase of 9.5 per cent.
There were over 6.3 million exits, up 12.5 per cent, Xinhua said, citing data from the State Immigration Administration.
Top overseas destinations for Chinese residents this Lunar New Year were Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, Xinhua reported.
Last year during the Spring Festival holiday, 386 million trips were made domestically, contributing to an increase of 475 billion yuan in China’s travel revenue, Xinhua said.
In 2017, Chinese people made 143 million international tourist trips and were the world’s biggest spenders on international tourism, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation said. — Reuters