File photo: VCG
China's domestic travel is expected to see a drastic rebound during this year's Qingming Festival holiday between April 3 and 5. A total of 100 million trips, twice as many as in Qingming in 2020, were expected during this year's holiday, according to Chinese travel platform Trip.com.
According to Trip.com, the total passenger volume will recover to pre-epidemic level in 2019. By March 16, the number of people booking on Trip.com for the Qingming Festival holiday has returned to the level of 2019.
The travel rebound was prompted by the relaxing restrictions on domestic travel, and it was the first public holiday after the Spring Festival, where citizens were advised to stay put.
Since March 16, people from low-risk areas have been traveling freely across the country as long as they have a green health code. Travelers are no longer required to present a negative COVID-19 nucleic test result.
The tourism boost will drive forward sectors such as transportation, hotels, catering, shopping and entertainment. Railway trips in China are expected to reach 49.7 million from April 2 to 5.
China's railway authorities have implemented a peak operating mechanism, with 10,046 passenger trains scheduled to operate every day during the Qingming Festival holiday. However, compared with 2019, the total passenger volume is estimated to drop by 8 percent to around 49.7 million.
China's civil aviation sector is expected to receive a boost from the holiday. According to Variflight, a flight data services company, the total outbound flights is expected to reach 34,700 during the holiday, twice the volume during the same period last year.
According to media reports, the flights of some companies during this year's spring-summer operation season will be up to around 20 percent compared with 2019. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport and Kunming Changshui International Airport are expected to be the busiest.