TAIPEI (TVBS News) — China's Spring Festival travel rush began in mainland China on Tuesday (Jan. 14), prompting an increase in cross-strait passenger ferry services. To accommodate travel needs, its authorities announced an additional six daily sailings on the "mini three links" (小三通) routes between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
CCTV News (央視新聞) reported that the Quanzhou (泉州) to Kinmen (金門) route will see its daily trips double from one to two round-trip sailings. The Xiamen (廈門) to Kinmen route will increase from 20 to 24 daily trips, with some intervals reduced to 30 minutes. The Fujian Maritime Safety Administration (福建海事局) expects these routes to transport approximately 200,000 passengers during the travel period.
To ensure safety, the administration has intensified inspections and patrols of the ferry routes. In 2024, the Kinmen "mini three links" saw over 1.3 million passengers, a significant rise from the previous year's 720,000. While the number of Taiwanese travelers nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, Chinese and foreign tourist numbers have yet to fully recover.
The 2025 Spring Festival travel rush will last 40 days, concluding on Feb. 22. China's transportation ministry predicts a record-breaking movement of 9 billion people across regions during this period. This increase in travel highlights the ongoing recovery and demand for cross-strait connectivity.