BEIJING: China’s Spring Festival travel rush hit a historic high on Feb 20, with daily cross-regional passenger trips exceeding 350 million, according to data released by the Ministry of Transport on Saturday.

On Feb 20, the 19th day of the 2026 Spring Festival travel season, cross-regional passenger traffic reached a remarkable 352.999 million trips. This figure represents a 12.3 per cent increase compared to the same day in the 2025 Spring Festival travel season, setting a new record.

The Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year, and the official holiday lasts nine days. The annual travel rush, “chunyun,” is often described as the world’s largest human migration. It is expected to see a record 9.5 billion inter-regional passenger trips during the 40-day rush from Feb 2 to March 13 this year.

During this year’s Spring Festival, many Chinese chose to celebrate abroad, discovering that distance did little to dull the holiday’s joy — vibrant dragon dances, glowing lantern displays and lavish festive feasts proved that the spirit of the Chinese New Year transcends borders.

Across the globe, Spring Festival celebrations are creating memorable experiences for both tourists and locals, not only showcasing Chinese culture through performances and traditional events, but also fostering travel and cross-cultural exchanges.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2026