Travel in China grows over Lunar New Year holiday

SHANGHAI: People in China made 415 million domestic trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, an increase of 7.6 percent 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 ($76.2b), an annual increase of 8.2pc, it said, citing the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Meanwhile, border crossings into and out of China rose 11 percent from the same 2018 period to 12.53m, with Chinese residents crossing the border for personal reasons 7.22m times, up 16 percent, 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 6.2m arrivals were recorded by border authorities during the week, an increase of 9.5pc. There were over 6.3m exits, up 12.5 percent, 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.