China Reports 657 Million Cross-Regional Trips During Dragon Boat Festival 2023
China's Dragon Boat Festival holiday sees 657 million cross-regional trips, marking a 3% rise year-on-year despite ongoing pandemic challenges.
China witnessed a massive surge in domestic travel during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday, with an estimated 657 million cross-regional trips made nationwide. The three-day break, which fell from May 31 to June 2, saw an average of 219 million trips per day—a figure representing a notable 3 percent increase compared to the previous year, highlighting the country’s continued recovery and appetite for travel and tourism.
Data from transportation authorities revealed that railways played a crucial role in facilitating the holiday rush, handling a total of 47.108 million passenger journeys throughout the festival period. This amounts to a daily average of 15.7 million train trips, registering a solid 2.3-percent growth from last year’s numbers. Major railway stations across key cities, such as Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu Province, were teeming with travelers making their way to reunite with family or enjoy cultural festivities.
Road transport retained its position as the dominant mode of travel, with a staggering 600 million trips recorded nationwide—an average of 200 million road journeys each day. This represents a 3.14 percent year-on-year rise, signaling increased mobility and economic activity as people took advantage of the holiday to explore destinations both near and far.
Meanwhile, water transport and civil aviation also experienced robust demand. Waterways carried approximately 2.88 million passengers, averaging 960,000 trips per day, while airlines accommodated around 5.6 million fliers—1.87 million per day on average. Both sectors contributed to the overall upward trend in holiday travel, reflecting a broad rebound in travelers’ confidence and the enduring popularity of the Dragon Boat Festival as a time for reunion and celebration.
The surge in travel volumes underscores not only the enduring cultural significance of the Dragon Boat Festival, but also the ongoing efforts by transport operators to enhance capacity and improve passenger experience during China’s peak travel seasons.
