Insane queues in China as tourists flee for nation’s ‘Golden Week’ holiday

The Chinese government is encouraging people to go on holiday – and 550 million are doing just that, in crowded scenes we haven’t seen in a long, long time.

Passengers wait for trains at Hangzhou East train station, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, amid a travel boom on September 30. Picture: STR/AFP

Chinese officials are reportedly encouraging citizens to get out and adventure in a “revenge travel” pitch to revive tourism and boost the economy, following months of lockdowns and restrictions in the fight against COVID-19.

Starting Thursday, about 550 million people are expected to travel for China’s National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival – and keep moving through the eight-day Golden Week, The Guardian reports. The term “revenge travel” has been frequently featured in Chinese media as of late, with Quartz defining the concept as “the government’s hope that people will travel or consume more than they usually do … because of pent-up demand from being cooped up.”

Passengers wait for trains at Hangzhou East train station, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, on September 30. Picture: STR/AFP

People queue to check in for domestic flights at Beijing's Capital International Airport on September 30. Picture: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

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Photos published by Getty on Wednesday and Thursday show crowds at a train station in Wuhan, the Great Wall in Beijing, and the Leshan Giant Buddha.

According to the South China Morning Post, 15 million trips will be taken by flight between October 1 and October 8, while hotel bookings for Golden Week have jumped 50 per cent.

Travellers are heading away to mark China’s National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Picture: STR/AFP

Chinese officials are reportedly encouraging ‘revenge travel’ after being cooped up due to the pandemic lockdowns. Picture: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

About 15 million trips will be taken in a single week. Picture: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

“The demand on tourism that was suppressed for nine months will probably be released in these eight days,” a spokesman for Trip.com speculated.

Over 500 “scenic locations” are offering free or reduced admission to draw visitors as officials hope that consumer spending and travel during the holiday week will herald an improving economy.

Action at Beijing’s Capital International Airport on April 13 (top) compared to September 30. Picture: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

A usually busy street in Beijing on April 23 (top) compared to September 2. Picture: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP

The Chinese state-run newspaper Economic Information Daily called this year’s Golden Week a “critical battle” for the tourism industry at large.

Nevertheless, tourism will inevitably look a bit different than years past due to the pandemic – nearly 800 million people reportedly travelled in China during Golden Week in 2019.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission