Graphic: China New Year travel slumps amid coronavirus curbs

Damai Entertainment Holdings

12/02/2021 08:17

By Muyu Xu and Tony Munroe
    BEIJING, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The number of people who
travelled in China ahead of Lunar New Year plummeted from two
years ago as coronavirus restrictions curbed the world's largest
annual domestic migration. 
    The seven-day celebration, which kicked off on Thursday, is
China's most important national holiday and is usually marked by
big family reunions. Millions of workers traditionally travel -
sometimes thousands of kilometres from Beijing and other major
cities - to their hometowns in remote regions. 
    Data from the Ministry of Transportation, Chinese internet
giant Baidu Inc and travel analytics firm ForwardKeys showed a
sharp drop in the percentage of the country's 1.45 billion
population who travelled this year. 
    With some 48 million more people expected to stay put in 36
major cities this year compared to years past, according to the
commerce ministry, utility companies and movie theatres are
preparing for heightened demand. 
    Ministry of Transportation data showed a 70% drop in the
number of passenger trips across the country in the two weeks
leading up to Lunar New Year, compared with the same period two
years ago. Travel during last year's holiday period, during the
early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, was also disrupted.
    A travel index published by Baidu Inc based on GPS data from
its users showed a 41% fall in travellers compared with 2019. 
    Flight bookings for the two weeks prior to the holiday stood
at 32.8% of the equivalent period in 2019, while tickets issued
during the holiday period were just 14.7% of the 2019 level,
according to travel analytics firm ForwardKeys. 
    "The outlook for travel over the Chinese New Year period is
currently dreadful ... You can see the impact of official travel
restrictions clearly in consumer booking behaviour," said
Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at ForwardKeys. 
    China's government in January urged people to abandon travel
plans following fresh COVID-19 outbreaks, leading local
governments to impose strict quarantine measures. Some areas
relaxed their stance in recent days, triggering some last minute
bookings, particularly for Sanya, a popular holiday destination
in the South China Sea. 
      
    STAYCATION CONSUMPTION BOOM
    Logistics firms, energy producers and entertainment
providers like restaurants and cinemas have been preparing for
greater numbers of people who have stayed in the major cities. 
    Pre-sales of movie tickets for the holiday period stood at
1.463 billion yuan ($226.67 million) as of Feb. 11, just beating
the 1.458 billion yuan recorded in 2019, according to data from
Dengta, a box office data tracker run by Alibaba Pictures
 1060.HK . 
    China's State Grid  STGRD.UL  expected the peak load in
eastern China would increase about 18% over the holiday period
this year, compared with 2020, while in northwestern and
southwestern China it would rise 10%. 
    China Southern Power Grid  CNPOW.UL  estimated the peak load
in southern regions would be up 14% from last year, as some
industrial plants are expected to resume operations earlier than
normal years. 
    
    ($1 = 6.4542 yuan)

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
China's domestic traveling ahead of Lunar New Year    https://tmsnrt.rs/3rPhMXV
Mobility during China's New Year holiday Mobility during China's
New Year holiday    https://tmsnrt.rs/36qX6xc
Metro passenger flows in China's capital city Beijing around
Chinese New Year period Metro passenger flows in China's capital
city Beijing around Chinese New Year period    https://tmsnrt.rs/3aCZ4f9
Metro passengers flow in China's Shanghai city around Chinese
New Year Metro passengers flow in China's Shanghai city around
Chinese New Year    https://tmsnrt.rs/3oO3CEQ
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 (Reporting by Muyu Xu and Tony Munroe; Editing by Jane Wardell)
 ((muyu.xu@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 56692117;))