Jump in interprovincial travel for holiday

The forthcoming three-day New Year's holiday in China will see a substantial rise in long-distance travel as a result of relaxed COVID-19 rules, travel agencies said.

According to Mafengwo, a Chinese travel services and social networking website, Sanya, Xishuangbanna, Xiamen, Shanghai, Beihai, Macau, Beijing, Changsha and Shenzhen are the top holiday destinations. The percentage of interprovincial travel orders among all tour products has increased by almost 30 percent from the same period last year.

It said the most preferred ways to ring in the New Year are light and fireworks displays and bell-ringing ceremonies, making Shanghai Disney Resort, Window of the World, a scenic attraction in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Macau, Hanshan Temple in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Zhujiang River in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, popular destinations for the New Year's Eve.

Every New Year's Eve, the Hanshan Temple bell is rung 108 times, a tradition that many believe brings good luck while removing grief and anxiety.

Many people, according to travel services and social networking websites, are looking for a New Year's ritual.

High-end accommodations will rule the New Year's holiday market as people suffering from COVID look for a luxurious getaway to heal their bodies.

During the holiday, Sanya's star beach hotels in the bays of Haitang, Yalong and Sanya are becoming increasingly popular.

Personalized small-group excursions are also popular, including a visit to the North Pole Village, a hamlet in Heilongjiang Province's Mohe County, a ski excursion to Changbai Mountain, and a photo tour to the Dagu Glacier in Sichuan Province.

The popularity of hot springs and ski resorts, respectively, increased by 433 percent and over 100 percent in the most recent week, claims Mafengwo.

Sherry Gao, a 30-year-old Shanghai resident recovering from COVID infection, will fly to Sanya on Saturday. Her overnight stay at a five-star hotel in the Haitang Bay area will cost her 3,000 yuan (US$431).

"I believe a warm temperature will aid recovery and reduce coughing," she said.

"I'll stay away from intense athletic activities. A trip is a nice ending to the difficult year and welcome the new year," she added.

According to the most recent data from Tongcheng Travel, about half of all railway orders during the holiday involve interprovincial travel.

The first wave of infection has peaked in several domestic locations, and early travelers for chunyun, the annual Spring Festival travel rush, are expected to make the interprovincial travel market lively over the holiday, according to the travel agency.

The average domestic flight costs 841 yuan over the holiday season, a 32 percent increase from the same time last year.

Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Tianjin and Guangzhou are the key tourist source markets for the holiday, according to online travel agency Tuniu.

Tourists under the age of 35 account for more than half of all orders.