7 million Chinese people to travel to 90 countries during Spring Festival holiday
TravelBizNews —
Beijing : China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has called on Chinese tourists to behave properly when traveling abroad during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday.
In a post on its website, the ministry urges Chinese tourists to abide by the local laws and regulations of their destinations, respect local traditions and religions and avoid inappropriate behavior such as littering, smoking or talking loudly in public areas.
“When abroad, every tourist represents their home country,” said the ministry in the post.
Nearly 7 million Chinese people are expected to travel to about 90 countries and regions during the 2019 Spring Festival public holiday from Feb. 4 to 10, according to a data analysis by multiple institutions.
Tourists should pay close attention to alerts released by tourism and foreign affair authorities and avoid traveling to countries and regions suffering from terrorist attacks, political turmoil, natural disasters or disease outbreaks, the ministry said in the post.
The Spring Festival holiday is regarded as “golden week” in China, which saw about 6 million outbound tourists during the 2018 public holiday, Xinhua reports.
AFP adds – Millions of Chinese have begun the annual exodus for the Lunar New Year, the world’s largest annual human migration, leaving major cities to return to their hometowns for the holiday.
The most important holiday in the Chinese calendar places great emphasis on family reunions, and travelers must get home by Monday to usher in the Year of the Pig the following day.
At Beijing Railway Station early on Wednesday, thousands were milling around in the cold, wrapped up in thick coats and wheeling their luggage.
Rail operators expect some 413 million trips during this year’s holiday season, up 8.3 percent from a year ago, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, has more than 4,000 years of history and is the longest holiday of the year. Chinese New Year begins on February 5th and ends on February 19 this year.
Xinhua/AFP Jan 30 , 2019
Image : People at Beijing Railway Station / AFP
