China’s transport network roared into 2026 with record intensity. Official data released by the Ministry of Transport show that 207 million passenger journeys were completed inside the mainland on Thursday, 1 January 2026, the opening day of the three-day New-Year public holiday. That is a 20.3 percent increase on the same day a year earlier and offers the clearest evidence yet that domestic mobility has fully rebounded from the lingering effects of the pandemic. Road traffic once again did the heavy lifting, moving 186.3 million people, but the standout growth story came from the railways, which handled 18.6 million passengers—up a staggering 67.9 percent year-on-year. Civil aviation served 1.95 million travellers, while waterways carried just under 700,000.
The surge is being driven by pent-up leisure demand, a front-loaded return-to-work pattern among migrant workers and a noticeable uptick in short-break business trips. With the Spring Festival rush only six weeks away, the early data suggest the country may be heading for another record-breaking ‘chunyun’ season, further stretching airline seat capacity and hotel inventory in tier-one and popular second-tier cities.
For international travelers who need to dovetail their China trips with the domestic surge, VisaHQ can shoulder the administrative load. Its China-specific page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers a streamlined application process, real-time status tracking and expert guidance on the latest entry policies, freeing both leisure and corporate visitors to focus on snagging tickets rather than chasing consular stamps.
![China logs 207 million passenger trips on first day of 2026 New-Year holiday]()
For corporate mobility managers the numbers translate into tighter seat availability and higher fares on popular trunk routes such as Beijing–Shanghai and Guangzhou–Chengdu. Rail operators have already announced plans to add more than 1,000 temporary trains over the holiday weekend; airlines are deploying wide-body aircraft on key domestic sectors to relieve pressure. Companies with employees on the move should book as far in advance as possible and build extra transit time into itineraries in case congestion snarls ground transport around mega-hubs.
The government is also using the holiday as a test bed for several passenger-service initiatives, including real-time crowding alerts on major expressways, dynamic seat-allocation apps for high-speed trains and pilot ‘smart-road service areas’ that integrate EV charging, dining and parcel pick-up. These tech-driven enhancements are likely to become permanent features of China’s transport landscape and will improve travel predictability—a key concern for relocating staff and frequent business travellers.
Finally, the numbers have a wider economic implication: higher mobility equals more consumption. Analysts estimate that each incremental domestic trip adds roughly RMB 300 (US$ 42) in direct spending on food, fuel or fares, putting roughly RMB 6 billion into circulation in a single day. That tail-wind should give retailers and hospitality operators a profitable start to 2026.
The surge is being driven by pent-up leisure demand, a front-loaded return-to-work pattern among migrant workers and a noticeable uptick in short-break business trips. With the Spring Festival rush only six weeks away, the early data suggest the country may be heading for another record-breaking ‘chunyun’ season, further stretching airline seat capacity and hotel inventory in tier-one and popular second-tier cities.
For international travelers who need to dovetail their China trips with the domestic surge, VisaHQ can shoulder the administrative load. Its China-specific page (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers a streamlined application process, real-time status tracking and expert guidance on the latest entry policies, freeing both leisure and corporate visitors to focus on snagging tickets rather than chasing consular stamps.
For corporate mobility managers the numbers translate into tighter seat availability and higher fares on popular trunk routes such as Beijing–Shanghai and Guangzhou–Chengdu. Rail operators have already announced plans to add more than 1,000 temporary trains over the holiday weekend; airlines are deploying wide-body aircraft on key domestic sectors to relieve pressure. Companies with employees on the move should book as far in advance as possible and build extra transit time into itineraries in case congestion snarls ground transport around mega-hubs.
The government is also using the holiday as a test bed for several passenger-service initiatives, including real-time crowding alerts on major expressways, dynamic seat-allocation apps for high-speed trains and pilot ‘smart-road service areas’ that integrate EV charging, dining and parcel pick-up. These tech-driven enhancements are likely to become permanent features of China’s transport landscape and will improve travel predictability—a key concern for relocating staff and frequent business travellers.
Finally, the numbers have a wider economic implication: higher mobility equals more consumption. Analysts estimate that each incremental domestic trip adds roughly RMB 300 (US$ 42) in direct spending on food, fuel or fares, putting roughly RMB 6 billion into circulation in a single day. That tail-wind should give retailers and hospitality operators a profitable start to 2026.
