China registers record foreign trips during Lunar New Year

China registered a record 6.15 million foreign trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, according to official data released on Friday.

This amounts to a seven per cent rise compared to the same period the previous year, according to the China National Tourism Administration.

While the number of Chinese people travelling abroad for the festive period increased this year, the figure is still relatively low given that a total of 344 million trips within China were recorded during this year's season, a 13.8 per cent increase on last year, Efe news reported.

The data refers only to the week-long holiday that began on Jan. 27, although the peak travelling season lasts up to 40 days.

Authorities estimate a total of 3 billion trips take place throughout the country during the holiday.

During Chinese New Year celebrations, hundreds of millions of people return to their hometowns to be with their families, journeys which contribute to the largest annual human migration in the world.

The revenue for the Chinese tourism industry rose 15.9 percent in the so-called "golden week" holiday, to 423.3 billion yuan ($61 billion), compared to 2016.

The industry recorded revenue worth 3.9 trillion yuan in 2016. Authorities hope to raise that figure to 7 trillion by 2020.

Millions of Chinese returned to work and their daily routines this week as the Lunar New Year festive week in China ended on Thursday.

--IANS

ksk/vt