The Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) in south China is expecting a busier Spring Festival travel rush, boosted by rising demand for tourism, business, and family visits, after the region launched an island-wide special customs operation on Dec 18, 2025.
China's Spring Festival travel rush in 2026 will begin on Feb 2 and last 40 days, ending on March 13.
Hainan is set to run over 22 million passenger trips during the period, increasing by more than 5.3 percent compared with last year’s Spring Festival travel rush period, said an official at a press conference on transport service held on Friday.
"Civil aviation passenger throughput increased by 3.7 percent year on year, reaching a record high for the same period in history. Notably, the demand for sea crossings by new energy vehicles has surged significantly, with the expected transport volume set to exceed 200,000 units," said Mu Kerui, Party secretary of the Department of Transport of Hainan Province.
The Qiongzhou Strait in Hainan will operate four deck carriers dedicated to transporting new energy vehicles between the island and mainland, while 57 RoPax ships will also be deployed to ensure smooth travel.
Additionally, a total of 10,800 ferry sailings are planned, representing a 10-percent increase compared with 2025.
"Particular attention will be paid to serve key groups such as first-time passengers after the launch of the island-wide special customs operation. We will work to streamline smart travel inspection through check-in services and transfer services," said Xu Yan, deputy director of the Hainan Regulatory Bureau under the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Hainan prepares for busier Spring Festival travel rush after special customs operation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has renewed his urgent call for an end to the Middle East conflict to prevent the worsening global hunger crisis, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Haq quoted the UN Chief as saying that amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, diplomacy must prevail.
He also cited the warnings from UN agencies that the conflict in the Middle East is feared to plunge tens of millions more into food insecurity. "The secretary general asserts once more that the war in the Middle East must stop, diplomacy must prevail, all Security Council resolutions must be implemented. The latest one, Resolution 2817, must be respected as we see that countries in the Gulf continue to be targeted," Haq said.
"And the World Food Program (WFP) is warning today that the total number of people around the world facing acute levels of hunger could reach record numbers in 2026 if the escalation in the Middle East continues to destabilize the world's economy. New analysis by WFP estimates that almost 45 million more people could fall into acute food insecurity or worse if the conflict does not end by the middle of the year, and if oil prices remain above 100 dollars a barrel. These would add to the 318 million people around the world who are already food insecure," he said.
Haq also highlighted the strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz, noting that the key to restoring its safe and secure operation lies in bringing an end to the conflict.
He said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would travel to Brussels later on Tuesday for urgent consultations with European officials on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and follow-up safeguard measures.
UN chief renews urgent call for end to Middle East conflict to prevent worsening global hunger crisis
