Spring Festival promises to be a blessing for many sectors: a travel boom for tourism, a cash infusion for telecom operators, and a buying spree for retailers.

The role of the country's most important holiday, now just around the corner, was analyzed by the Social Survey Institute of China in its latest research.

It found that a large portion of people will eat out, with about one-third of urban families choosing to fill the nation's eateries on the biggest meal night of the year, rather than dining at home.

The information was gathered through a survey of 2,000 people in areas ranging from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south.

"Some 53 percent of respondents said they'll spend the week-long vacation at home," said institute staffer Wang Xing.

The rest of those surveyed, she said, are choosing to take tours or will budget their time between February 9 and 15 for activities ranging from reading in libraries or working out at gyms.

Of those planning travel, 43 percent would do it independently, while the majority said they will join groups organized by travel agencies.

Zhao Yuping, an executive with the China International Travel Service, yesterday said she predicted that numbers heading to Australia, New Zealand and Europe would surge by 30 percent compared to last season.

"At least 600 have booked air tickets to fly to those destinations through our agency," she said, adding that most plan to visit four or five nations in up to eight days.

Travel to tsunami-hit Asian nations, usually extremely popular destinations, may plummet by a third, she said. But with relief and reconstruction work gathering momentum, and more promotions, it is expected to pick up, said experts.

Domestically, apart from those travel to family reunions, popular attractions include Harbin and Changchun in the icy cold northeast, and Yunnan and Xiamen in the south, according to the survey.

The Ministry of Communications is providing updated information on expressway traffic during the peak travel season at www.moc.gov.cn and on television from February 1 to 20. Weather information is also provided on the website.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2005)