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.