China expects to see record-high expressway traffic during upcoming holiday

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Expressways in China will likely see a record traffic volume during the upcoming holiday driven by booming travel demand, an official said Thursday.

According to Wang Xiuchun, from the Ministry of Transport, the expressway traffic volume on Sept. 29, the first day of the eight-day holiday, will reach a new high and the daily average for the entire holiday will surge over 40 percent from last year's corresponding period.

This year, the National Day holiday extends from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6, covering the Mid-Autumn Festival. Oct. 1 marks China's National Day, while Sept. 29 is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival of family reunions.

During this peak travel and tourism season, expressways across the country will offer toll-free access to passenger cars with up to seven seats.

Major cities and key tourist destinations will become hotspots. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle will see busy traffic during this period, according to Wang.