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> The government expects 2.99 billion journeys to take place over the holiday, an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous year [...] So assuming most are tak

> The government expects 2.99 billion journeys to take place over the holiday, an increase of 0.6 percent from the previous year [...] So assuming most are taking a trip somewhere and a trip back, that's about 1.5 billion people involved in this phenomenon, somehow or another- roughly 1 out of every 5 humans on the planet!

max76 8y ago
The 1.5 bilion people number seems fishy to me, because that's slightly larger than the total population of China. EDIT: The official and current UN number is 1.42B. China's last official count was 1.35B in January 2013.
- bobthepanda 8y ago
  If you're a couple heading home, you may need to travel three times to be with two sets of family. You might also need to travel multiple times to have a traditional meal at the family home, and then go somewhere else for an actual vacation getaway. Enough edge cases and the numbers could work out. Also the metric is trips, not people; if you live in some provincial village out in the country you may need to take multiple modes of transportation.
  - max76 8y ago
    I agree with the 2.99 billion trips, assuming some definitions for trip. My parent comment mentioned 1.5b people, which I do not agree with.
the_duke 8y ago
Which can't be right, as China 'only' has a population of 1.4 billion, of which a significant portion will probably not travel since most of their family is local. This has to somehow include multiple trips per person. Maybe train to airpot + flight + train to destination + the same for return.
- bobthepanda 8y ago
  The metric is journeys, not people. There are lots of small villages not directly connected to the rail network or an airport.
azurezyq 8y ago
China is a very diverse country and has a good amount of rural residents. To reach these towns, a hub-and-spokes model is followed, which added more trips per person.

max76 8y ago

The 1.5 bilion people number seems fishy to me, because that's slightly larger than the total population of China. EDIT: The official and current UN number is 1.42B. China's last official count was 1.35B in January 2013.

bobthepanda 8y ago
If you're a couple heading home, you may need to travel three times to be with two sets of family. You might also need to travel multiple times to have a traditional meal at the family home, and then go somewhere else for an actual vacation getaway. Enough edge cases and the numbers could work out. Also the metric is trips, not people; if you live in some provincial village out in the country you may need to take multiple modes of transportation.
- max76 8y ago
  I agree with the 2.99 billion trips, assuming some definitions for trip. My parent comment mentioned 1.5b people, which I do not agree with.

the_duke 8y ago

Which can't be right, as China 'only' has a population of 1.4 billion, of which a significant portion will probably not travel since most of their family is local. This has to somehow include multiple trips per person. Maybe train to airpot + flight + train to destination + the same for return.

bobthepanda 8y ago
The metric is journeys, not people. There are lots of small villages not directly connected to the rail network or an airport.

azurezyq 8y ago

China is a very diverse country and has a good amount of rural residents. To reach these towns, a hub-and-spokes model is followed, which added more trips per person.