Around 206 million people travelled across Guangdong province during between 14 and 20 January – the initial week of the Lunar New Year travel rush. The figure represents an increase of 4.96 percent year-on-year, according to data published yesterday by the Guangdong Department of Transport.
Vehicular transport accounted for a significant proportion of the total, with a total of 193 million trips, an increase of 4.92 percent in comparison to the same period last year. This was followed by rail, where the number of trips almost reached 9.8 million, a growth of 7.06 percent over the previous year.
Air travel was the third most popular choice, handling 1.94 million passengers, a rise of 6.76 percent year-on-year. Around 799,200 trips were meanwhile made by boat – a drop of 9.6 percent when compared to the same period in 2024.
A substantial number of vehicles made use of Guangdong’s various highways during the first week of the Lunar New Year travel rush as well, with the total hitting roughly 57.55 million – equivalent to 8.22 million vehicles per day, or an increase of 8.2 percent year-on-year.
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The expressway network connecting the various Greater Bay Area cities had a vehicular flow totalling around 48.78 million, a rise of 9.26 percent year-on-year. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link saw the passage of approximately 666,900 vehicles – equivalent to a daily average of more than 95,000.
Qiangzhou strait ferries also carried some 642,700 visitors in the first week of the rush period, with the number of vehicles entering and exiting Hainan Island totaling roughly 174,700.
Considered to be the world’s biggest annual human migration, the 40-day Lunar New Year travel rush is forecast to see a staggering 9 billion trips made across mainland China this year. New records are expected to be broken for aviation and rail travel during this period, which will end on 22 February.
Authorities across the country have prepared for the surge in travel demand by upping transport capacity. Guangdong, for instance, has boosted the number of trains operating in major stations, including Guangzhou South and Shenzhen North.
