Chinese travellers are planning earlier departures and longer trips for this year’s Golden Week, according to the latest data from Trip.com Group.
By taking three days off, workers can extend the break to 13 days by combining the Golden Week and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays. As a result, outbound departures are expected to increase from September 25, with average trip lengths exceeding nine days.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the Friday before the Golden Week holiday period this year. Trip.com Group data shows that more than half of outbound flight bookings are for departures before the official October 1 holiday start.
Daily departure volumes are expected to peak on September 25 and September 30.
Longer Trips Drive Long-Haul Demand
Chinese travellers are also using the extended break for longer-distance trips.
According to Trip.com Group, bookings for hotel stays of seven nights or more have increased 123% year on year (YoY). Bookings in major European cities, including London and Paris, are growing at an even faster rate.
Long-haul flight bookings are also expected to record double-digit YoY growth. Demand is concentrated around gateway cities in Europe, Australia and the United States.
At the same time, multi-destination travel is gaining ground. Bookings for multi-destination itineraries have risen 84% YoY.
Southeast Asia and Europe are among the leading regions for multi-stop journeys. Popular combinations include Singapore–Bali, Hong Kong–Sydney and Amsterdam–Milan.
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Nature and Coastal Destinations Gain Interest
Domestic travel demand is also shifting towards mountain and coastal destinations.
Searches for “scenic trips” and “nature getaways” have increased 53% YoY, according to Trip.com Group.
Coastal and high-altitude cities, including Qingdao, Lhasa and Kashgar, are among the fastest-growing domestic holiday destinations by flight.
Meanwhile, mountainous destinations such as Xiangxi, Zhangjiajie and Guilin are gaining popularity among domestic rail travellers.
Island destinations are also attracting outbound demand. Jeju and Bali rank among the 10 most-booked flight destinations.
In Southeast Asia, YoY flight bookings to Cebu and Phuket have increased 111% and 78%, respectively.
European destinations are also seeing stronger demand. Flight bookings to Brussels and Athens have recorded significant YoY increases.
Gen Z and Millennials Expand Their Travel Choices
Younger travellers are contributing to the growth in long-haul and secondary-city travel.
Travellers aged 18 to 24 recorded the highest YoY growth in bookings among all age groups, according to Trip.com Group.
New Zealand is emerging as a destination among Gen Z travellers. Flight bookings to Queenstown and Auckland have increased 314% and 276%, respectively.
Secondary cities are also gaining ground among younger travellers. Incheon and Chiang Mai are among the destinations seeing rapid growth in this age group.
Inbound Tourism to China Also Shows Growth
The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely celebrated across Asia. At the same time, Trip.com Group data points to continued growth in inbound travel to China.
Less-visited Chinese cities such as Yanji, Dunhuang and Hailar are recording some of the fastest increases in flight bookings.
Major cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou continue to receive inbound travellers from Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.
Trip.com Group also reports strong overseas visitor interest in attractions across China.
The Mutianyu Great Wall is among the most-booked attractions among overseas visitors during Golden Week. International travellers can visit the site through Trip.com’s free layover tour, Beijing Express.
Launched in December 2024, Beijing Express is available to international travellers with more than eight hours of layover time. The tour includes attractions such as Mutianyu Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.
According to Trip.com’s Express Tours data, the Mutianyu Great Wall route accounts for more than half of all Beijing Express bookings. It is also the most popular option among overseas visitors during the extended Golden Week holiday.
Other popular attractions include Shanghai Disney Resort, Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
South Korea Sees Strong Golden Week Demand
Seoul ranks as the top international holiday destination during this year’s Golden Week in Trip.com Group’s data, with international flight bookings up 91% YoY.
Demand is also increasing for other South Korean cities. Global flight bookings to Busan, Cheongju and Daegu are recording three-digit YoY growth.
Japan remains a popular destination for travellers from across Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea.
This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival also coincides with Chuseok, one of South Korea’s major holidays. South Korean travellers can extend their Chuseok holiday by taking three days off, creating a break from September 19 to 27.
Trip.com Group data shows that flight bookings to Fukuoka and Shanghai have increased 70% and 68%, respectively, on a YoY basis.
Japanese and Chinese travellers are the primary drivers of this growth, according to the company’s data, highlighting increased travel demand between markets in the region.
Long Holidays Support Regional Travel
Taken together, the data points to increased travel activity across Asia as travellers make use of longer and overlapping holiday periods.
For Chinese travellers, the extended Golden Week and Mid-Autumn Festival break is supporting earlier departures, longer stays, multi-destination itineraries and increased demand for both regional and long-haul destinations.
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