BEIJING (Realist English). China’s Ministry of Transport said the country recorded 11.9 billion cross-regional trips between July 1 and August 31, an average of 192 million trips per day, according to figures released by state broadcaster CCTV on Monday. The total represents a 4.3 percent year-on-year increase and highlights the strength of the summer travel season.
Road travel dominated, with 8.7 billion self-driving journeys, accounting for 73 percent of all cross-regional mobility. Officials noted the growing popularity of rural self-driving tours as families and young travelers sought scenic destinations and summer retreats.
The Ministry said that student travel, tourism flows and study tours significantly boosted consumption in the domestic tourism sector. It estimated that domestic tourism trips this summer would exceed 2.5 billion, with Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an among the top destinations.
China’s railway network also reported record-breaking performance. Data from China State Railway Group Co Ltd showed around 940 million passenger trips, surpassing 900 million for the first time in a summer season. Weekly passenger volumes consistently topped 100 million, while daily averages reached 15 million trips — 2.2 million higher than the daily average during the Spring Festival travel rush.
Civil aviation saw steady growth as well. The Civil Aviation Administration of China said 147 million passenger trips were made by air during the summer period, averaging 2.37 million per day, up 3.6 percent year-on-year. On August 15 alone, 2.56 million passengers flew — setting a new single-day record.
The transport ministry said the sustained growth trajectory across road, rail and air underscores strong momentum in both tourism and family travel, reinforcing the role of mobility in China’s post-pandemic economic recovery.
