February 4, 2024

Lunar New Year 2024 - (The Year of the Dragon)

What is Lunar New Year (often referred to as Chinese New Year)?

Commonly known as Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, the Lunar New Year celebrates the beginning of the the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. It is celebrated in many countries throughout Asia.In Vietnam for example, the holiday is called Tet, the full name is "Tet Nguyen Dan".

When is Lunar New Year 2024?

Subject to the Chinese lunar calendar 2024 with festivities ending with the Lantern festival, Chinese New Year 2024 will fall on Saturday 10th February, 2024

How long is the Lunar New Year holiday 2024?

From country to country, the lunar new year vacation differs according to the different celebrations. The public holiday in the People's Republic of China was usually seven days long. Generally, the festivities start from the Lunar New Year's Eve, otherwise known as Spring Festival Eve, to the sixth day of the first lunar month. However, this year, there is a slight change.

The Chinese government has announced the holiday will be from February 10th, 2024 (Lunar New Year’s Day) to February17th, 2024 (the 8th day of the first lunar month), therefore the holiday is in fact eight days long in 2024. February 4th (Sunday) and February 18th (Sunday) will be working days in lieu. For the Spring Festival Eve on February 9th, the Government encourages companies and institutions to let employees take paid leave. In 2024, you will see a lot of people on PTO on February 9th.  

What are the dates for the Lunar New Year holiday in 2024?

The Chinese public holiday in 2024 for the Lunar New Year starts on February 10th until the 17th in 2024. In some cases, the holiday period may allow for extended time off for workers. Factories and trucking companies will also release their workers and drivers earlier before the public holiday officially starts. This usually begins one week before the holiday. Trucking resources on the market will become limited and we expect prices will increase.    

How will transportation and logistics services be impacted by the Chinese New Year holiday? 

The Spring festival travel rush, also known as the Spring Festival Migration arises during the Chinese New Year holiday as it is a time for family reunions and celebrations. Many people travel to their hometowns to visit parents and relatives. In most cases, factories provide skeleton cover for work during the holiday season. In a lot of cases, you may receive office closure notices from production sites who cease operations during this time. 

In the lead up to Chinese New Year, transportation and logistics becomes similar to peak period when orders are placed early to compensate for the holiday period, thus putting pressure on transportation and logistics frameworks. 

NOTE: Incidents in the Red Sea are having an impact on ocean freight transit times... further information here, Crane Worldwide has freight solutions available for you, please don't hesitate to reach out here for alternate transportation methods.

Lunar New Year 2024, logistics sector summary

• Manufacturing facilities particularly in China usually close their doors to allow employees to enjoy the festive period with their families and relatives, planning ahead can help you achieve maximum benefit to your air freight, ocean freight, and logistics schedule and cost. The shutdown is likely to cause delays.
• Due to the reduced amount of employees on-site during the festive period, production times may need to be extended. You will need to allow for not only for longer production times but also an increased amount of time to receive your quotations.
• Production slows down and a backlog of orders is often the case, factories, in general, will process orders from their regular clients and will assign priorities to their most valued clients. 
• Limited capacity and increased costs for trucking and drayage - one week before and one week after the public holiday will be inevitable. 
• Ocean carriers will adjust their vessel schedule with blank sailings, and airlines are likely to cancel some flights.    
• We suggest as part of your planning, ahead of the site closures, to inform us of your bookings at your earliest convenience to avoid any disruption.
• Crane Worldwide Logistics has a number of logistics solutions available to you. If your products allow for a longer delivery lead time, we can always find the best price for you via our ocean freight services. If you short transit times are the only option, we can offer you air freight solutions under different service levels and costs.

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Crane Worldwide Logistics in the Asia Pacific Region

Did you know...? Crane Worldwide has 130 locations, in 30 countries around the world and are able to provide full international logistics services.

In Asia, we have a strong presence throughout P.R. China as well as Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. We are also located in Australia.

You can check out our global directory available here for a full list of Crane Worldwide Locations. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out for a freight quote/logistics support in Asia.