China National Day: After Kovid-19, millions of people are going on vacation at the same time

10/01/2020 Health, World


Hong Kong (CNN) – China is moving forward once again. With October 1 approaching, millions of people are expected to pack highways, trains and planes for the National Day holiday, the busiest time to travel in the world’s most populous country.

The eight-day break is China’s first major holiday since the coronavirus outbreak. While life has largely returned to normal in recent months, the upcoming “Golden Week” holiday will be an ambitious test of China’s success in controlling the virus – and much awaiting its economic recovery.
Last year, a total of 2,788 million domestic trips were made during the holidays, with revenue of about 50,550 billion yuan (billion 1 billion), according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
During the National Day holiday in 2019, tourists flock to the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province, China.

During the National Day holiday in 2019, tourists flock to the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province, China.

Liu Zonggjun / China News Service / VCG / Getty Images

The ministry forecasts 550 million domestic trips this year, while Ctrip, China’s largest travel online travel agency, estimates that number is more than 600 million – up 70% from last year’s level.
The scale of the mass movement in such a short period of time is unbelievable in many parts of the world, where governments are still struggling to control acute infections. In the United States, there are millions of cases of coronavirus over the weekend. Much of Europe is now in the grip of another wave of infection; Countries that survived the first wave, such as Greece and Croatia, have also seen a large number of cases as tourists took summer vacations after Europe’s internal borders reopened in June.

But so far, the virus is far less of a concern for Chinese holidaymakers, with China considering zero local transmission and some of the world’s strictest border control measures.

Chen Qianmei, 29, of the southern city of Guangzhou, went to Shanghai on vacation on Tuesday. He said he was not worried about the virus, although he was still cautious.

“I think China (the virus) is under very good control,” he said. “I wear a mask and bring alcohol wipes to clean my hands, especially before eating – although in Shanghai, fewer people wear masks now.”

Chinese security personnel monitor a crowd on a popular pedestrian shopping street during the 'Golden Week' holiday in Shanghai in 2017.

Chinese security personnel monitor a crowd on a popular pedestrian shopping street during the ‘Golden Week’ holiday in Shanghai in 2017.

AFP Contributor / AFP / AFP by Getty Images

Show confidence

The coronavirus, which was found in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last December before spreading around the world, has been contained in China since March. In the months that followed, small-scale outbreaks have occasionally erupted – from the country’s northeast to the capital Beijing and the far western region of Xinjiang, but they were all quickly covered by tight lockdown measures and mass testing programs.

China has not reported any cases of the disease transmitted locally since the midst of Gust, and is strictly investigating foreign arrivals and workers at risk of exposure to the virus. Last week, it detected its first local asymptomatic infection in a month, after two port workers unloaded frozen imported seafood in Qingdao, testing positive for the virus in routine checkups.

Two residents were walking in an empty park during the Lunar New Year holiday on January 27 in Wuhan, China.

Two residents were walking in an empty park during the Lunar New Year holiday on January 27 in Wuhan, China.

Strong / Getty Images

The lunar New Year holiday in late January – China’s last major travel period – is in stark contrast to the anxiety and a sense of control over the haphazard. At the time, a coronavirus outbreak broke out in Wuhan after local officials initially silenced healthcare workers trying to sound the alarm. Two days before Lunar New Year’s Day, the Chinese government ordered an unprecedented lockdown on the city, but by then, the virus had already spread to other provinces and the country, as millions of Chinese people went or took home for family reunification. Holidays abroad.

More than eight months later, China’s restrictions on domestic movement have all been lifted. Officially, some cities require passengers to create green health codes on their smartphones at railway stations and airports to show they are safe to travel, but implementation may fail.
As a sign of the government’s confidence in keeping the virus under control, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that domestic travel could be “normal” for the upcoming holiday, given that all cities in mainland China are low. Risk for coronavirus.

But the center still recommends passengers follow local epidemic control measures, wear masks on trains, flights and crowded places, and keep a distance of 1-meter (3..3 feet) in tourist spots – the last of which is not impossible to observe. As difficult as it may be, the Chinese have often given the size of crowds drowning popular sites during the holidays.

Last week, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism ordered tourist destinations to limit capacity to 75% during the Golden Week, which is more than the 0% limit compared to the previous month. To facilitate contact tracing, visitors need to register online in advance.

Tourists wearing face masks line up outside the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, China on September 3rd.

Tourists wearing face masks line up outside the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, China on September 3rd.

Hector Ritamel / AFP / AFP by Getty Images

Wu Xunyo, chief epidemiologist at the Chinese CDC, told state broadcaster CCTV earlier this month that there was no need to impose additional restrictions on domestic travel during the National Day holiday, as coronavirus no longer circulates in society.
“It is now impossible to transmit the virus to the social environment,” he said. “Although we are still looking for dozens of imported cases among passengers arriving in China on international flights, the imported cases are managed in a closed loop and will not spread to society, and therefore will not have much impact on local residents.”

Increase domestic travel

Chinese officials, including the Chinese CDC and the Foreign Ministry, have urged Chinese nationals to avoid unnecessary foreign travel, citing a stable epidemic around the world.

The Golden Week holiday – China’s longest holiday with the lunar New Year’s holiday – has traditionally seen a large number of middle-class Chinese travel abroad. Last year, more than a million foreign trips were made during the holiday, with Japan and Thailand topping the list, according to government figures.
Chinese tourists wait for their tour bus in Ginza Shopping District on October 02, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

Chinese tourists wait for their tour bus in Ginza Shopping District on October 02, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

Tomohiro Ohsumi / Getty Images AsiaPac / Getty Images

But this year, due to various visa restrictions and various worldwide requirements, as well as the lack of international flights, it will become practically impossible to travel abroad. After returning to China, travelers must face a strict two-week quarantine – spending at least half the time in government-designated hotels.

The only exception is Macau, which waived different requirements in July for Melandland travelers who received a negative test result for coronavirus within seven days. Last week, mainland China fully introduced tourist visas for the semi-autonomous region, just in time for the national holiday.

Local governments are competing to attract tourists as Chinese holidaymakers turn to domestic destinations. According to Citrip, more than 20 provincial and municipal governments have issued travel vouchers, while about 1,500 tourist destinations across China have issued free or discounted tickets.
China State Railway Group, a China railway operator, expects a total of 108 million train rides. 28 September to 8 October October. To cope with the increased demand, an additional 1,200 trains have been added to the service, but some tickets for popular routes have been wrapped up anyway.
Some flights have also been sold. China’s travel online travel booking site, Kunara, estimates that due to the drop in flight prices, more than 15 million domestic flight tickets will be sold in a gold week.
And on the Chinese highway, big traffic jams are expected again this year. According to the Ministry of Transport, an average of one million million highway trips are expected during the eight-day holiday, which is 1% to 3% more than last year.
Tourists take selfies at the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan on September 3, 2020.

Tourists take selfies at the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan on September 3, 2020.

Hector Ritamel / AFP / AFP by Getty Images

Wuhan, the original epicenter of the outbreak, has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists since its lockdown was lifted in April. Last month, Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, announced that about 400 of its tourist attractions would be open to tourists free of charge by the end of the year. More than 3.7474 million tickets for tourist destinations in Wuhan were booked on the booking platform set up by the province following the announcement, according to the state-run Hubei Daily.
According to Citrip, Wuhan’s famous landmark, the Yellow Crane Tower, tops the list of most sought-after attractions for Golden Week.

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