Trains packed as people head home from holiday

Chinese commuters were greeted with a travel rush as people returned home for work on the last day of the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the country's railway operator said on Sunday.

China State Railway Group said 11.7 million train trips were expected to be made on Sunday.

To meet the surging travel demand as people headed back to major cities and coastal areas for work and school, 928 extra trains were put into service.

Zhengzhou Railway Bureau in Central China's Henan province deployed 28 extra trains for destinations including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the capital of southern China's Guangdong province.

The Mid-Autumn Festival fell on Friday this year, with the number of railway trips over the holiday expected to hit 46 million, up 8.5 percent year-on-year, China State Railway Group said.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Sunday that 105 million visits were made to domestic tourist attractions during the three-day break, up 7.6 percent year-on-year, generating revenue of 47.3 billion yuan ($6.7 billion), up 8.7 percent.

Online travel agency Lvmama said on Sunday that China's high-speed rail network has contributed to the growth of domestic holiday tourism.

Li Qiuyan, head of brand development at Lvmama, said tourism based on high-speed railways grew 20 percent year-on-year, with many routes connecting a number of tourist attractions.

Besides railway trips, Beijing Capital International Airport, China's busiest air hub, was expected to handle 4,983 flights during the holiday. The airport recently adopted 32 automated luggage check-in machines to give passengers a quicker and more seamless check-in process.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar Chinese calendar, is one of the most significant traditional Chinese festivals, with people holding family gatherings, gazing at the full moon and eating moon cakes.

wangkeju@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Global 09/16/2019 page4)