China forecast 2.36b trips during National Day, Mid-Autumn holiday

Travel demand across China will remain strong during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with about 2.36 billion passenger trips expected during the eight-day break, according to the Ministry of Transport on Sunday.

"The eight-day holiday will see strong and diverse travel demand, whether for family visits or tourism," vice transport minister Li Yang said at a news conference in Beijing. He also noted that average daily trips are projected to reach 295 million, up 3.2 percent from last year.

The holiday will begin on Wednesday and end on Oct 8.

Self-driving will dominate holiday travel, with about 1.87 billion trips expected, or nearly 80 percent of the total. Highway traffic could exceed 70 million vehicle trips per day at peak times, including 14 million new energy vehicle journeys. Li advised travelers to plan fuel and charging stops in advance.

Travel peaks are likely to fall on Wednesday, when flows may top 340 million passenger trips, and again on Oct 7–8 as people return from trips.

Mid- to long-distance journeys are set to rise, with congestion risks in major city clusters such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing region.

Tourism demand remains robust, with cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, and Chengdu in Sichuan province among the most popular destinations. Outbound travel to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia is also expected to increase.

Freight transport will stay broadly stable, with daily truck flows estimated at 5.5 to 5.8 million, similar to last year but about 30 percent lower than on working days. Supplies of essential goods will remain well guaranteed, Li said.

The transport sector has made full preparations to ensure safe and smooth travel during the holiday, he added.