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Written by Liz Lee
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s annual travel rush for Chinese New Year celebrations officially began on Tuesday, with many taking a break from worrying about the future to meet family or go on vacation.
The peak travel season in the world’s second-largest economy began with a train leaving Beijing a few minutes after midnight, taking early bird travelers from the capital to Hefei in eastern Anhui province.
Many people intend to have family for a traditional get-together dinner on New Year’s Eve, which falls on January 29 this year.
The 40-day travel season will continue until February 22, when officials estimate a record 9 billion domestic trips will be made. The forecast is in line with the 2024 estimate, though 8.4 billion trips were made during last year’s festivities.
The passenger volume of trains is expected to exceed 510 million passengers, while more than 90 million passengers are expected to fly. However, the number of trips by private car is expected to reach 7.2 billion trips, or about 80% of total domestic passenger traffic, said state television broadcaster CCTV.
Most of China’s 1.4 billion people will celebrate this year’s Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, at a time when the economy is struggling to cope with a prolonged recession. hampered by weak domestic demand and long-term problems in property markets.
Some travelers said they will not let the economic situation get in the way of future celebrations.
“Although the economy has slowed down, I think the country as a whole is paying attention (to the economic situation) and we, as ordinary people, live well (every day),” said Wang Zhixu, 55- old who works in logistics services, and was stationed in Beijing.
“Peace within our country brings us the greatest happiness.”
Airline passengers who bought bulk tickets for the holiday are up 50% compared to last year, and hotel bookings in some areas have increased, CCTV said.
Beijing, Guangzhou, Harbin, Dali and Fuzhou were popular destinations for holidaymakers making the most of the eight public holidays.
But for young job seekers, the outlook is different.
Shi Zhenyue, 22, is on her way to Harbin for a holiday with friends before going to Wuxi in eastern Jiangsu province to celebrate the New Year with family, hoping the economy will improve so she can know how to work.
“If the economy improves (in the new year), I will have a better chance of getting a job, and I won’t have to go back to study for a master’s degree or a doctorate. And if the economy improves, the father’s bonus (from work) will not be reduced,” said Shi.
Youth unemployment reached 18.8% last August, the highest since the authorities changed the way they calculate the numbers in December 2023. Although unemployment data showed some improvement in months of late, millions of college graduates have been pushed to accept low-paying jobs or even. living on their parents’ pension.
Many have also abandoned the stress of big cities for a simpler life away from the hustle and bustle.
For the 33-year-old who lives in the northeastern province of Liaoning with his partner, the slow pace of life is a comfort.
“Because we’re not in a big city like everyone else, we might not have a lot of pressure,” said a young businessman who gave only his last name.
“We also lived in the big city for a while after graduating, then we chose to go back to our hometown where we feel more friendly and happier,” he said. so.
