Heavy travel expected during Chinese Golden Week

Beginning this Saturday, the Chinese Golden week is a 7 day-long national holiday; people are encouraged to travel, go shopping, celebrate and spend leisure time

As Saturday also marks the country’s National Day, more than 589 million people are expected to travel during the Golden Week holiday.

Main attractions in China, such as the ancient city of Lijiang, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Disneyland in Shanghai and the Nanjing Road shopping area are intensely preparing to welcome the huge crowds of people enjoying the days off.

Nevertheless, as flights and hotel rates considerably raise during this time of the year and major transportation facilities sell out within minutes, travelers are advised to book their trips in advance to avoid heavy crowding and unpleasant holiday moments. "The current system causes many people to cram all their trips into the same time periods, and this has caused a slew of negative effects, including heavy traffic congestion, a heavy burden on the environment at tourist attractions, and poor quality of experience for the tourists," quotes a statement issued by China’s National Tourism Administration.

Moreover, Singapore also expects Chinese tourists’ visits to boost during Golden Week. The country offers discounts and sales expected to boost the fallen economy with this occasion. “Chinese visitors remain very important to the retail industry,” commented R. Dhinakaran, chairman of the Singapore Retail Association.

Japan, Thailand and South Korea are also popular destinations for Chinese citizens choosing to spend their holiday week away from home.