Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, January 27 (Reporter Xie Jiao) There are many new changes in the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush. Among them, with the expansion of the urban high-speed rail commuting circle, some scenic spots far away from the city in the past have experienced the phenomenon of "off-season peak".

The beautiful winter scenery of Jiuzhaigou. (Photo provided by Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area Administration Bureau, He Xiaoyan)

The Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, a world natural heritage site, is more than 420 kilometers away from Chengdu. Because it is far away from the northeast end of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, and is close to 3,000 meters above sea level. In the past, the transportation was inconvenient, and every winter it entered the off-season. After the opening of the Huanglong Jiuzhai Station of the Sichuan-Qingxia Railway, the commuting time from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area of ​​the western transportation hub was shortened to about 3 hours, and tourists flocked in, changing the situation of scarce tourists in the past off-season.

Suzhou tourist Li Jing took her children to experience the beauty of Jiuzhai in winter. Before the Spring Festival, she landed at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport by plane. After getting off the plane, she transferred to Jiuzhaigou at the terminal building. "It is very convenient to get to these scenic spots in Sichuan now. You can get off the plane and take the high-speed rail. The Spring Festival holiday is our golden tourism holiday. In addition to Jiuzhaigou, you also have to go to Dagu Glacier and Emei Mountain."

The beautiful winter scenery of Jiuzhaigou. (Photo provided by Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area Administration Bureau, Jiancuo)

"Now 'Special Forces Tourism' is very popular, we are all part of it!" Chongqing tourist Li Xinyao said that the so-called "special forces tourism" is to depart from Chengdu early in the morning to Jiuzhaigou. The "assault" tour that day was completed and the last high-speed train returned to Chengdu.

To meet the needs, China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co., Ltd. has increased the EMUs from Chengdu to Huanglong Jiuzhai Station to 13 pairs every day since January 26, strengthening capacity guarantee.

According to statistics from Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, since January this year, the number of tourists has increased by 139.7% compared with the same period last year, with an average daily visitor volume of 8,827. It is estimated that the number of tickets will be purchased on New Year's Eve. It is expected that from the second to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the average daily tourist reception volume will reach the maximum capacity of 23,000 in winter.

"Integrating into the Chengdu commuting circle is a milestone for Jiuzhaigou culture and tourism." A female Tibetan conductor from Aba who has been performing the Sichuan-Qingqing Railway mission for many years said in Qingchu that when more and more passengers come to enjoy the scenic spots of Aba, I will thank the builders of these major infrastructure over and over again.

Statistics show that as of the end of 2024, the national railway operating mileage reached 162,000 kilometers, of which 48,000 kilometers of high-speed rail was the operating mileage of China's high-speed rail. In the future, with the further construction and operation of high-speed railway lines such as the Sichuan-Qingxia Railway, the spring of cultural tourism from the southwest to the northwest will open a new chapter.