What To Watch About China's Spring Festival Travel Rush

Chunyun, the world's largest annual human migration, officially kicked off on January 14 in China ahead of the Spring Festival. Authorities predict travel volumes will hit new highs during the 40-day travel rush.

The latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency, spotlighted key trends shaping this year's travel season, including record-breaking travel numbers, booming tourism, transformative technologies, the rise of electric vehicles and a surge in inbound travel.

The annual travel frenzy is driven by the movement of people working, studying or living far from their hometowns as they head back to celebrate China's most important festival.

It is estimated that nine billion passenger trips will be made, with car journeys accounting for 80. Railway trips are projected to surpass 510 million, while air passenger volume will likely exceed 90 million.

Faced with such a massive travel demand, transportation systems are undergoing their annual tests. 'Safety remains our top priority,' Wang Xiuchun, an official of the Ministry of Transport, said on the show.