BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- At a pet handover room inside Lanzhou West Railway Station in northwest China's Gansu Province, a teddy dog named Maodou waited calmly as staff checked paperwork and prepared drinking water, before guiding it into a high-speed rail transport box fitted with air circulation and real-time monitoring of oxygen, temperature and humidity.

For the dog's owner, 58-year-old Dong Wenqi, the process felt smooth and reassuring. With China's Spring Festival travel rush, also known as chunyun, under way since Feb. 2, she was one of many heading to their hometowns for this annual celebration. In Dong's case, this meant a trip of over 600 km to Xi'an, also in northwest China, along with her canine companion traveling on the same route, but in a different compartment.

"It makes long-distance trips much easier for both people and pets," she said, describing their journey from Lanzhou to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, which lasts more than three hours.

To make it easier for travelers to take pets along with them during chunyun, China's railway authorities have further expanded a pilot high-speed rail pet consignment service this year. Starting Jan. 28, the number of stations offering this service increased to 110, while eligible trains soared from 54 to 170.

This pet-friendly option is among the new holiday travel choices emerging this year, as travelers increasingly seek more convenient, comfortable trips tailored to family needs.

For passengers like Wang Jing, who shipped her tabby Siamese cat Xiaoqi on the same Lanzhou-Xi'an route, the appeal lies in speed and ease. She said the service felt considerate and tech-enabled, while the consignment fee was about 360 yuan (roughly 51.87 U.S. dollars).

As the travel rush approaches its peak, more travelers are choosing to return home along with their pets via high-speed rail. The pilot service has eased a long-standing source of stress for many pet-owning households, adding both speed and a human touch to holiday journeys and reflecting a growing pet-friendly ethos in Chinese society.

A 2026 consumption report on China's pet industry estimates that the number of urban pet dogs and cats in the country had reached 126 million in 2025, with the market value hitting 312.6 billion yuan. The same report projects that this figure is likely to climb to 405 billion yuan by 2028.

In addition to pet-friendly high-speed rail travel, reunion journeys are also taking on other forms this year, with more families opting for short-haul getaways and cruise vacations.

In east China's Zhejiang Province, water passenger transport exceeded 100,000 trips on Feb. 2, the first day of the travel rush, according to local maritime authorities.

Of these passengers, more than 70 percent opted for short-distance family visits and nearby island sightseeing. The pattern was especially clear in the Zhoushan Islands, where most travelers were locals and residents of nearby cities visiting relatives, along with visitors heading to Putuo Mountain for blessings.

In north China's Tianjin Municipality, meanwhile, the Liberia-flagged cruise ship Dream departed from Tianjin International Cruise Home Port on Feb. 2 with around 1,000 passengers for a six-day, five-night itinerary to Jeju and Incheon before returning to Tianjin.

During this year's travel rush, Tianjin expects approximately 20 international cruise calls, with total inbound and outbound traveler flows set to top 30,000.

Passenger profiles for a "sea-going chunyun" have stood out, with family-based travel accounting for nearly 70 percent, seniors aged 60 and above making up more than one-third, and travelers under 16 close to 20 percent of the total.

To cope with such a family-heavy passenger mix and rising traffic, border inspection authorities said that they have opened both manual and fast-track channels, added on-site guidance, and adjusted lane deployment based on passenger flows, featuring special arrangements for elderly travelers and families with children.

The holiday travel shift is also visible on routes to Zhangjiajie, a popular tourist city in central China's Hunan Province.

Following the opening of a high-speed rail section last year, travel to Zhangjiajie has become more convenient, turning the rail link into a popular peak-season option. Its distinctive landscapes and "Avatar" fame have drawn more overseas travelers during the Spring Festival holiday, boosting demand for more accessible, traveler-friendly onboard services.

English-speaking attendants have offered targeted assistance, from helping first-time visitors locate their seats to sharing practical tips on transport connections, accommodation and local transfers after arrival.

They also share information such as which entrance is more convenient for accessing scenic areas, thus easing language barriers and improving the onboard experience.

Taken together, these emerging patterns, from pet-friendly high-speed rail services and nearby family getaways to cruise holidays and rising tourism flows, point to a broader shift in travel demand.

Beyond moving people home, the Spring Festival travel rush is increasingly reflecting more segmented, experience-driven consumption, along with upgraded transport and public services.