英语新闻丨New Year holiday to bring peak in travel

Eagerly awaiting the upcoming New Year's Day holiday, Wang Xiaohui, 32, has planned a trip to Harbin — a traditional winter tourism destination and the capital of Heilongjiang province — for the three-day break starting on Jan 1. Wang will ring in the New Year amid the city's dreamlike snowy vistas.

32岁的王晓慧正满怀期待地迎接即将到来的元旦假期，她计划在1月1日开始的三天假期里前往哈尔滨——这一传统的冬季旅游目的地，也是黑龙江省省会。她将在这座城市如梦似幻的雪景中迎接新年的到来。

"I used to spend New Year's Eve in Beijing with my family, eating dumplings, but this year I'll spend it with three friends," she said.
她说：“以前我都是和家人在北京一起过除夕、吃饺子，但今年我会和三位朋友一起度过。”

She had planned to see in the New Year at Harbin Ice and Snow World, one of China's top snow-themed parks, but was unable to get tickets.
她原本计划在中国顶级冰雪主题乐园之一——哈尔滨冰雪大世界迎接新年，但未能买到门票。

Travel agencies have forecast significant growth in both domestic and outbound tourism during the three-day holiday. Within the country, colder regions with abundant snow and regions with milder climates are competing for travelers.
多家旅行机构预测，在为期三天的假期中，国内游和出境游均将实现显著增长。在国内市场，冰雪资源丰富的寒冷地区与气候相对温和的地区正共同争夺游客。

Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu, said, "In the past 10 days, searches for 'New Year' tour products on our platform have doubled compared with the previous 10 days, and searches for 'New Year's Eve countdown' have grown by over 50 percent."
旅游网站途牛副总裁齐春光表示：“过去10天，我们平台上‘元旦’旅游产品的搜索量较此前10天翻了一番，‘跨年倒计时’相关搜索量增长超过50%。”

Qi noted the soaring popularity of snow destinations like Harbin and predicted that a travel peak in the winter tourism market would occur during the New Year's Day holiday. This is supported by data from Tujia, a domestic homestay booking platform, which reported that Harbin currently leads in holiday bookings.
齐春光指出，哈尔滨等冰雪旅游目的地热度持续攀升，并预计元旦假期将迎来冬季旅游市场的出行高峰。国内民宿预订平台途家提供的数据也印证了这一判断，目前哈尔滨在假期预订量中位居前列。

"Warmer places like Quanzhou in Fujian province and Libo in Guizhou province are also popular, with searches increasing by three to five times in the past 10 days," he said.
他说：“福建泉州、贵州荔波等气候较为温暖的地区同样受到欢迎，过去10天相关搜索量增长了三到五倍。”

Li Ailing, from Beijing, has booked a three-day trip to Quanzhou with her husband.
来自北京的李爱玲已与丈夫预订了一次为期三天的泉州之行。

"Beijing is too cold in winter, so we want to go to a warmer place with beautiful sea views," Li said. "My husband visited Quanzhou last year, and highly recommended it for its delicious food and distinct culture."
李爱玲表示：“北京冬天太冷了，所以我们想去一个温暖、还能看到海景的地方。我丈夫去年去过泉州，他非常推荐那里，觉得美食丰富、文化特色鲜明。”

Li said that they plan to leave on Dec 31, a day before the holiday period starts, to avoid the traffic rush.
李爱玲说，他们计划在12月31日、即假期开始前一天出发，以避开交通高峰。

The outbound tourism market is also expected to boom over the holiday. Online travel agency Qunar forecasts its first travel peak on Saturday. Popular destinations include South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, with South Korea seeing the fastest growth in bookings due to lower flight prices.
元旦假期期间，出境游市场也有望迎来增长。在线旅游平台去哪儿网预测，其首个出行高峰将出现在周六。热门目的地包括韩国、泰国、新加坡和越南，其中韩国因机票价格较低，预订量增长最快。

Qunar noted that some tourists are extending their trips by taking extra paid vacation days to visit more distant destinations such as Egypt and Spain. "New Zealand is also popular among those extending their breaks because it's midsummer there. We've seen flight bookings to New Zealand increase by 1.1 times on our platform," it added.
去哪儿网指出，一些游客通过额外请带薪年假，将行程延长，前往埃及、西班牙等较远的目的地。该平台补充称：“新西兰也受到延长假期游客的青睐，因为当地正值盛夏。我们平台上飞往新西兰的机票预订量增长了1.1倍。”

snow-themed park

/snəʊ θiːmd pɑːk/

冰雪主题乐园

homestay booking platform

/ˈhəʊmsteɪ ˈbʊkɪŋ ˈplætfɔːm/

民宿预订平台

traffic rush

/ˈtræfɪk rʌʃ/

交通高峰

flight bookings

/flaɪt ˈbʊkɪŋz/

机票预订量

paid vacation days

/peɪd vəˈkeɪʃən deɪz/

带薪休假