Traveling abroad: a new way to celebrate the Spring Festival

As soon as the traditional Laba festival porridge has been eaten up on Jan 27, the eighth day of twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, it’s all hands on deck for many Chinese people as they prepare for Spring Festival. According to an old Chinese saying, "Spring Festival comes after the Laba Festival."

In recent years, more Chinese people manage to find novel ways to celebrate the New Year festive period. Not only have people been buying new clothes or getting a new hairstyle in preparation for the New Year, a growing number of people are expressing an interest in traveling during the festival. In the city of Lanzhou, Gansu province, many residents have shown a great desire to travel during the New Year holidays, according to the Western Economic Daily, a Gansu provincial newspaper.

"I really want to travel with my parents who live in the rural area during the festival," said Mr Zhao, who works in the construction industry in Lanzhou city.

Outbound travel to European countries is also gaining in popularity, partly because of the euro depreciation. According to the staff of Kanghui Travel Agency, in Gansu, the travel agencies may raise the price to these popular places during festival, based on similar increases in air tickets and hotel prices.

"An increasing number of people choose to travel abroad during the Spring Festival," said Liu Xinlin, a staff member of Gansu Silk Road International Travel Agency, located in Lanzhou city.

'I found some southeastern countries and region are ideal destinations for many visitors," she added.

By Li Xiaoxu and edited by Jacob Hooson