SHENZHEN’S transport terminals – the airport, ferry ports, bus and train stations handled 1.41 million passenger trips during the New Year’s Day holiday between Jan. 1 and 3, down by 14.3 percent year on year. Statistics from Shenzhen transport bureau showed that railway stations handled 1.07 million passenger trips, down by 8.72 percent; and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport saw 246,500 passenger trips, down by 25.3 percent. This decrease in passenger trips is partly because of COVID-19 and the rise of private car use and app-based cab services, according to the bureau. Data released by travel company Ctrip showed that half of its customers are young people born after 1995, with most of them favoring trains when they travel. Their top five favorite destinations are Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hangzhou. Shen Jiani, a researcher from Ctrip Research Institute’s Strategic Research Center, said that travelers from first-tier cities favored short journeys to suburbs or nearby cities due to COVID-19 prevention and control measures. A report from Ctrip Research Institute also showed that New Year holiday booking for tickets to suburb tourist areas increased by 238 percent year on year, and bookings for hotels in Guangdong increased by 70 percent compared to the same period in 2020. (Han Ximin) |