China kicks off Lunar New Year travel rush, expects record nine billion trips

Millions of people will travel back to their hometowns to reunite with families for Chinese New Year. - PHOTO: REUTERS

BEIJING (Reuters): China on Friday kicked off its busiest annual period of mass migration with a record nine billion domestic trips expected to be made during a 40-day travel rush around the Lunar New Year holidays, state media predicted.

That would be nearly double the 4.7 billion trips made during the so-called Spring Festival travel rush in 2023 when ultra-strict COVID-19 restrictions were abolished.