The Mid-Autumn Festival celebration runs from today until Sunday, while the National Day holidays, known as the 'golden week,' extend from October 1st to 7th, totaling ten days of festivities.
According to Vice Minister of Transport Li Yang, cited by the state newspaper People's Daily, there will only be three working days between the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holidays this year. This will result in an extended period of 13 days for some people, which will cause changes in transport volumes and methods.
Li Yang indicated that passenger volume during the Mid-Autumn Festival is expected to show a 'slight increase' compared to usual days. He anticipates that the total inter-regional passenger travel across the country will reach 650 million, representing an average of 217 million displacements per day.
The official added that most of these trips will be for returning to families for visits, as well as outings to friends and relatives, with travel to rural and suburban areas also being popular.
For the National Day holiday period, passenger traffic is estimated to reach 2.13 billion trips over the seven days, with a projected daily average of 300 million passengers.
Li Yang emphasized that road transport will remain the main mode of travel during these holidays, with an estimated participation exceeding 90%. On the first day of the holiday, highway traffic is expected to peak at 71 million vehicles.
Additionally, moderate growth is forecast in the rail and air sectors, with average daily passenger volumes increasing by approximately 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively.