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China's Vice Minister of Transport, Li Yang, said that 1.94 billion trips are expected nationwide during the seven-day holiday. The average number of trips per day is expected to reach 277 million, a 0.7% increase compared to last year and more than a 19% increase compared to 2019.
Industry experts are anticipating a surge in international travel bookings from Chinese tourists this week, with a focus on personalized travel experiences.
According to research, 40% of those surveyed who planned to travel at the end of the year made their trip in October, indicating a huge demand for overseas travel during the National Day holiday. ForwardKeys, an aviation and travel data analytics company, reported that the number of international airline tickets purchased by Chinese citizens during the Golden Week holiday reached 85% of the pre-pandemic level, a 32% increase compared to last year. Europe and Southeast Asia were among the top travel choices for Chinese tourists.
Hundreds of millions of Chinese tourists will enjoy the Golden Week holiday both domestically and internationally.
According to the Securities Times (China) and the Sing Tao Daily (Hong Kong), many attractions requiring advance bookings, such as the Forbidden City in Beijing, sold out by October 1st. Long-distance travel is particularly popular, with air travel numbers increasing by more than 50% compared to the same period last year. Severe traffic congestion is occurring on highways in many parts of Guangdong.
Over 30,000 tourists booked tours of the Great Wall on the first day of Golden Week. To ensure smooth operations, the Great Wall's opening hours were moved up to 5:30 AM on October 1st. The scenic area also planned a special "Great Wall Morning" event, allowing visitors to watch the sunrise from the top of the Great Wall.
Meituan's data shows that as of October 2nd, searches for "National Day travel" had increased 27 times compared to the same period last year, with the top five most popular destinations being Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Chongqing. The data also indicates that tickets to many scenic spots were sold out by October 1st.
This traditional holiday period is expected to see a significant increase in Chinese tourists, especially on overseas trips due to the longer break.
On the first day of the National Day holiday, according to preliminary estimates from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, scenic spots rated 4A and above received 2.625 million tourists, a 5.1% increase compared to the same period last year.
The Shanghai-Beijing, Beijing-Chengdu, and Shanghai-Guangzhou routes have become popular domestic routes in China. On October 1st alone, the number of flights on these domestic routes exceeded 17,000, and the number of passengers nationwide is expected to surpass 2.2 million.
Many popular tourist spots are expected to be packed with visitors.
This year's Golden Week holiday is taking place against a backdrop of a struggling Chinese economy plagued by slow growth and consumers still tightening their belts. Authorities are trying to boost domestic consumption to address this issue. The Ministry of Tourism reported that the first three quarters saw 4.28 billion domestic trips, with total spending reaching 4.32 trillion yuan (US$616 billion).
This year, tourists applied for visas an average of 68 days in advance (from the date of departure), 29 days earlier than last year. This shows that Chinese tourists have regained confidence in international travel after the pandemic. Lesser-known or less-visited destinations in Asia and Europe are also popular choices for vacations this time.
