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China braces for 2.9 billion trips made during New Year

People sit in waiting areas at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of passengers passed through Shanghai's railway stations on Friday in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, and according to state media, an estimated 2.91 billion journeys are expected to be made this year during the holiday period, traditionally a time for China's citizens to travel home and be with family and friends. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Travelers wait for their trains at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of passengers passed through Shanghai's railway stations on Friday in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, and according to state media, an estimated 2.91 billion journeys are expected to be made this year during the holiday period, traditionally a time for China's citizens to travel home and be with family and friends. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Travelers use an electronic vending machine to buy train tickets at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of passengers passed through Shanghai's railway stations on Friday in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, and according to state media, an estimated 2.91 billion journeys are expected to be made this year during the holiday period, traditionally a time for China's citizens to travel home and be with family and friends. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

A boy stands in line with other travelers at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of passengers passed through Shanghai's railway stations on Friday in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, and according to state media, an estimated 2.91 billion journeys are expected to be made this year during the holiday period, traditionally a time for China's citizens to travel home and be with family and friends. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

A high-speed train arrives at a platform at the Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai, Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. Hundreds of thousands of passengers passed through Shanghai's railway stations on Friday in preparation for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, and according to state media, an estimated 2.91 billion journeys are expected to be made this year during the holiday period, traditionally a time for China's citizens to travel home and be with family and friends. (AP Photo) The Associated Press

Posted January 30, 2016 6:00 am

The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) - China's peak travel season is kicking into high gear this weekend as hundreds of millions of people go home for Spring Festival celebrations - or head for vacation destinations domestic and abroad.

According to the Ministry of Transport, Chinese travelers are expected to make 2.9 billion trips during the 40-day period between Jan. 21 and March 3, with the majority of those trips falling in the weeks around the Feb. 8 Lunar New Year.

That's a slight uptick of 3.6 percent from last year, but the travel crush - considered the largest annual human migration - may be relatively less severe due to a lackluster economy.

In coastal Zhejiang Province near Shanghai, officials expect a 4.4 percent drop in passenger traffic as jobs dry up and migrant laborers pack up early to head to their family homes in China's hinterlands well before the New Year.

By comparison, Chinese made 3.6 billion trips during the same holiday period in 2014.

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