This year’s Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations is predicted to result in 210 million travellers, akin to the entire population of Indonesia or Brazil up and holidaying at the same time. Up 10% on last year. Air travel alone will see an increase of 29 million air travellers over the 40 days, the average monthly visitor rates for either Hong Kong or Singapore. All this makes CNY one of the great annual human migrations.

1. Article
6
Feb
2010
The
Great
Human
Migration-­Chinese
New
Year
This
year’s
Chinese
New
Year
(CNY)
celebrations
is
predicted
to
result
in
210
million
travellers,
akin
to
the
entire
population
of
Indonesia
or
Brazil
up
and
holidaying
at
the
same
time.
Up
10%
on
last
year.
Air
travel
alone
will
see
an
increase
of
29
million
air
travellers
over
the
40
days,
the
average
monthly
visitor
rates
for
either
Hong
Kong
or
Singapore.
All
this
makes
CNY
one
of
the
great
annual
human
migrations.
While
current
or
persistent
threats
continue
to
act
upon
traveller
and
expatriates
alike,
this
pilgrimage
will
generate
and
amplify
a
number
of
issues.
Airline
safety
and
security
was
on
the
cusp
of
an
easing
of
accepted
trends
and
boarding
protocols
thanks
to
continuous
and
mounting
pressure
from
consumer
groups
and
sovereign
representatives.
The
December
2009
attempt
to
detonate
a
device
on
a
commercial
carrier
has
changed
that
and
allowed
for
another
round
of
preventative
frenzies
and
reflection.
Other
less
popular
issues
have
also
been
tabled
for
review
such
as
the
proliferation
of
falsified
passports,
raised
by
the
head
of
Interpol.
Any
and
all
flights
in
or
out
of
the
US
or
like
minded
administrative
territories
will
increasingly
cause
delay
and
frustration
to
travellers
of
all
kinds.
Any
major
convergence
of
people
presents
a
variety
of
public
health
and
safety
concerns.
Coupled
with
epidemics,
pandemics
and
varied
personal
hygiene
standards;
this
will
raise
the
level
of
risk
to
those
exposed.
Specific
pathogens
are
ideally
suited
for
transmission
during
this
time
or
may
benefit
from
accelerated
global
transmission.
The
first
line
of
defence
will
be
the
traveller
themselves.
Many
travellers
during
this
time
will
be
infrequent
or
even
first
time
travellers.
While
some
may
be
readily
identifiable
by
cardboard
boxes
for
luggage
or
obvious
confusion
navigating
the
increasingly
technical
process
of
boarding
and
navigating
their
chosen
transport
means,
many
will
appear
like
any
other
traveller.
This
influx
will
not
only
add
to
the
volume
of
traffic
but
burden
the
efficiency
of
systems
and
flex
the
patience
of
those
at
the
cold
face.
All
travellers
need
to
be
aware
and
more
adaptive
to
these
phenomena.
Travel
managers
will
need
to
have
plans
and
options
in
place
to
achieve
their
goals
of
cost
containment,
efficiency
and
overall
safety
and
security
for
their
charges.
Predatory
crimes,
crimes
of
opportunity,
emotional
outbursts,
physical
confrontation,
group
defiance
are
but
a
few
of
the
seasonal
tactile
threats.
Novice
and
seasonal
travellers
will
be
at
risk
by
their
actions.
Carrying
large
cash
reserves
(for
gift
giving
and
travel
spending),
extensive
wardrobe
(cold
and
hot
weather
temperate
zone
shifts),
prohibited
items
needed
for
sustenance
(food
and
water),
health
maintenance
(medicines
and
foods)
and
an
inability
to
keep
up
to
date
on
events
that
affect
their
travel
will
present
opportunity
to
thieves,
delay
and
frustration.
Commercial
conditions
will
change
and
in
some
instances
become
hostile.
Price
hikes,
touting,
fraud,
diminished
services
and
decreased
service
staff
will
frustrate
the
process.
While
it
should
seem
obvious
that
cab
drivers
and
Tony
Ridley
Page 1 of 2

2. Article
6
Feb
2010
government
staff
would
also
partake
in
the
seasonal
break
many
are
unprepared
when
they
discover
decreased
or
suspended
support.
Many
employees
will
take
extended
holidays
around
key
dates
or
public
holidays.
Some
countries
will
have
public
holidays
in
accordance
with
the
festival
schedule
and
even
those
that
are
not
the
spiritual
or
ethnic
majority
will
take
holidays
or
close
for
business.
Provisions
for
such
disruptions
must
be
in
place
long
before
the
specified
dates.
Natural
events
such
as
weather
and
earthquakes
will
continue
unabated
and
have
a
greater
opportunity
to
disrupt.
Concentrations
of
travellers
are
not
the
only
ones
at
risk
with
those
planning
on
connecting
or
transiting
through
areas
that
are
affected.
Regular
environmental
disruptions
and
even
extremes
have
impacted
CNY
travel
and
holidaymakers.
Total
avoidance
is
not
possible
but
planning
and
formulated
actions
are
key
traits
to
a
less
affected
outcome.
A
Singaporean
family
travelling
abroad
experienced
a
tragic
yet
poignant
reminder
of
the
unsuspecting
perils
of
travel
this
week.
While
holidaying
in
Australia
their
family
car
left
the
road,
rolled
repeatedly
and
resulted
in
two
family
members
dead
and
others
critically
injured.
They
were
driving
in
an
unfamiliar
environment,
on
isolated
roads
not
used
by
locals,
on
roads
known
to
have
gravel
and
soft
edges.
All
the
ingredients
for
disaster
which
locals
are
aware
but
still
kill
Australians
too.
Part
of
the
tragedy
lay
with
their
over
dependence
of
GPS
driving
systems
that
took
them
off
better
and
safer
roads
nearby.
Motor
vehicle
accidents
kill
and
incapacitate
far
more
travellers
each
year
than
terrorism
or
aircraft
accidents.
The
holiday
and
travel
activity
this
Chinese
New
Year
should
be
memorable
for
all
the
right
reasons.
Acknowledgement
and
planning
for
the
overall
upscale
movements
of
millions
of
like-­‐minded
travellers
will
smoothen
the
likely
mental
stress.
The
plan
is
not
the
focal
point
to
ensure
a
great
family
time
or
break
but
the
planning
process.
This
is
even
more
essential
for
the
business
traveller.
Consider
all
the
facts,
get
good
advice,
keep
abreast
of
changes
as
they
happen,
look
out
for
others,
keep
in
contact
and
be
prepared
to
do
specific
things
if
something
does
go
wrong.
Bad
things
happen
to
good
people
all
the
time
but
that
number
reduces
dramatically
for
those
with
a
plan
and
support.
Tony
Ridley
Page 2 of 2