About 1.89 billion people are expected to travel within the country during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on January 22. This is an increase of 3 percent from a year earlier.

Busses are expected to carry the biggest share of travelers.

Some 1.72 billion people are expected to board busses, a year-on-year 3 percent growth.

Airlines are forecast to shuttle 10.5 million passengers during the 40-day holiday period, 9.6 percent more than the Lunar New Year holiday last year.

The national Reform and Development Commission, one of the country's most authoritative government bodies, predicted that a peak travel season will start from January 7 and last 40 days as people nationwide travel to their hometowns for traditional family gathering.

Meanwhile, about 137 million people will take trains, about 2 percent more than last year's Lunar New Year.

Fewer have been traveling by ship during recent years due to their slowness and inconvenience.

Only 26 million people are expected to take the ships during the holiday season, the same as last year.

The central government raises the price of railway tickets during the Lunar New Year travel days and local railway administrations are expected to soon announce their fare hike plans for the season.

The Beijing railway regulator has already issued price hikes of up to 20 percent for trains running to and from Beijing during some of the peak days, according to a Beijing newspaper.

(eastday.com December 3, 2003)