Chinese train ticket sales set record as holiday nears

BEIJING - Sales of train tickets reached a new daily high on Friday ahead of the week-long National Day holiday, the China Railway Corporation (CRC) said on Sunday.

A total of 9.69 million tickets were sold on Friday, the highest level ever on a single day. The CRC said 55.8 percent of them were sold on the Internet and 10.8 percent by mobile phone.

An average of 8.32 million tickets were sold per day between September 9, when tickets for the National Day holiday go on sale, and September 13 -- 1.19 million more than in the same period last year.

Tickets are available 20 days ahead of the "golden week," which starts on October 1. Purchasing online or by phone allows many to avoid long queues at ticket offices.

The National Day holiday has become an annual tourism event for Chinese people, who are increasingly well-off and willing to spend more on leisure and entertainment.