Travel peak, new box office record as Chinese enjoy Spring Festival holiday

As the eight-day Spring Festival holiday gets underway, anticipation mounts for new records in both travel volumes and box office revenues. The festival is set to end on February 17.

Tens of millions of railway passenger trips

Chinese railways witnessed nearly 12.93 million passenger trips on Tuesday, with an estimated 14.2 million expected on Wednesday, according to the China State Railway Group (CSRG), the nation's railway operator.

According to the CSRG's passenger department, daily ridership has consistently exceeded 10 million for two consecutive days, driven by various factors such as tourism, familial visits, and the return of people to their homes.

Additionally, the passenger flows to popular cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shenzhen significantly increased on Wednesday, surpassing the peak of passenger flows before the Spring Festival, as indicated by presale tickets on China's official railway ticket-booking website, 12306.cn.

In terms of data for applying for standby train tickets on 12306.cn, Guangzhou and Shenzhen became the most popular destinations on Wednesday, while Harbin and Wuhan became the most popular departure cities for the third consecutive day.

Read more:

Chinese shoppers, travelers show strong consumption power during Spring Festival

Box office tops 5 billion yuan

As of 11:42 a.m. Wednesday, the fifth day of the Spring Festival holiday, China's Spring Festival box office revenue (including pre-sale) has exceeded 5 billion yuan (about $696 million), according to official statistics.

The figure had exceeded 4 billion yuan (about $557 million) by Tuesday noon, placing China as the world's largest movie market in 2024, for the time being.

The extended holiday is anticipated to draw more movie-goers to cinemas, promising a robust start to the Chinese film market in 2024.

Based on the current box office performance, film industry insiders estimate that the 2024 Spring Festival box office can exceed the 6.758 billion yuan (about $941.7 million) in 2023.

Cultural activities fascinate travelers

At Beihai Park in Beijing, calligraphers can be seen writing the Chinese character "Fu" on red, square paper and handing the decorations out to tourists. The red posters are stuck onto doors or windows to celebrate the Spring Festival, as the character symbolizes a blessing or happiness.

"I felt very lucky to receive a 'Fu' poster as a gift, and I will take home the blessing it carries," said a tourist surnamed Xu from south China's Guangdong Province.

Public parks in Beijing received over 250,000 tourists on February 10, the first day of the Year of the Dragon, surging 153.78 percent from the Spring Festival last year and 56.41 percent from 2019, according to local authorities.

Shanghai has launched more than 200 cultural activities during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, including art exhibitions, plays and food fairs, creating a festive atmosphere in the city for both locals and tourists.

About 1.73 million tourists visited Shanghai on Chinese New Year's Day, up 4.58 percent year-on-year, data released by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism showed. 

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: An aerial drone photo shows tourists visiting a scenic area in Huimin County of Binzhou City, east China's Shandong Province, February 11, 2024. /Xinhua)