Harbin sees new high in passenger volume

Harbin, in Heilongjiang province, hit a new record in airline and railway passenger volume during the past eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, according to Harbin Airport and Harbin Railway Bureau.

Harbin Airport transported 438,000 passengers during the holidays, marking a year-on-year growth of 13 percent. Harbin Railway Bureau transported 4.28 million passengers during the holidays, with daily average passenger volume of 389,000 people, an increase of nearly 20,000 people compared to 2016.

A large number of Harbin residents travelled during the holidays. The hot tourist spots included Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Russia’s Vladivostok and Japan’s Osaka, attracting 20 percent more tourists compared to last year.

Heilongjiang Wuhua Mountain attracted tourists from cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jinan and Tianjin. During the holidays, the load factor of flights from these cities to Harbin reached 80 percent.

Harbin Airport transported 55,000 passengers on Oct 7, with load factor of flights from cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu and Xi'an to Harbin reaching 90 percent. Load factor of flights from Harbin to other cities reached 80 percent, and it was extremely hard to get tickets to Beijing.

Railway passengers primarily travelled for tourism, according to Harbin Railway Bureau.

In order to alleviate the traffic pressure brought by the surge, Harbin Railway Bureau formulated transportation plans in advance, adding 155 temporary trains to meet the demand.