BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- From bustling transport hubs and crowded scenic areas to fully booked restaurants and busy shopping districts, strong travel flows and vibrant consumption during the National Day holiday highlighted the resilience and momentum of China's holiday economy.
Data from the Ministry of Transport showed that during this National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, known as "Golden Week," cross-regional passenger trips reached 2.14 billion, averaging 306 million a day, slightly above the daily average recorded a year earlier.
Longer breaks, richer local experiences, rising inbound travel and policy-supported consumption... What stood out this year was not just the sheer number of travelers, but how the holiday economy was changing shape.
LONGER JOURNEYS, DEEPER EXPERIENCES
With the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays separated by only three working days this year, some travelers took three days of leave to link the two breaks into a 13-day extended holiday. Data from Trip.com Group showed that one in every 10 travelers combined the two holidays into such a break.
That extra stretch has helped reshape travel preferences, driving demand for longer-distance trips, a more relaxed pace and more immersive experiences.
Online travel platform Qunar said bookings for flights covering more than 2,000 kilometers rose by more than 40 percent year on year during the National Day holiday, while hotel bookings involving stays across four or more cities jumped 53 percent year on year.
Improved transport links are making long-distance trips more accessible than ever. Before the holiday, new high-speed rail sections, including the Xiong'an-Shangqiu, Xi'an-Ankang, and Harbin-Yichun lines, began operation, connecting more destinations across the country.
For families like Wang Lei's from Harbin, who traveled to Yichun to enjoy the autumn scenery, a journey that once took seven hours now takes just over one hour. "The time we used to spend on the road can now be spent enjoying the destination," Wang said.
Experts said longer breaks extend the consumption chain and expand spending opportunities, giving transport, hospitality, catering and scenic spots a longer operating window and deeper spending potential.
Official data showed that during the National Day holiday, average daily sales in service sectors rose 19.5 percent year on year, with tourism, sightseeing and entertainment services up 23.6 percent, catering services up 9 percent, cultural and arts services up 20.9 percent, and sports services up 29.4 percent year on year.
A noticeable shift unfolded during this year's National Day holiday: more travelers are looking beyond big-name cities and turning to smaller counties for their getaways.
In Mile City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, tourist Chen Jinhui from Shanghai in east China ordered a cup of local coffee and joined a community concert. "Coming to a small city, basking in the sun and relaxing -- that's the Yunnan way of life," he said.
Data from Qunar showed that hotel bookings in popular counties rose 32 percent year on year, with Jiuzhaigou County in southwest China's Sichuan and Burqin County in northwest China's Xinjiang among the most sought-after destinations.
In August, nine government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, jointly issued guidelines to energize lower-tier markets and boost county-level consumption. The measures aim to streamline consumption channels, broaden the range of available brands, improve service quality, and create diverse and locally tailored consumption experiences in smaller cities and towns.
Small counties are no longer marginal players in the consumption landscape; they are becoming an important source of new domestic demand. McKinsey has projected that by 2030, more than 60 percent of China's personal consumption growth will come from third-tier cities and below, as well as county and rural markets.
Inbound tourism also remained robust during the holiday. Data from the National Immigration Administration showed that during the holiday, 682,000 foreign nationals entered China, of whom 505,000 arrived under visa-free policies, up 5.4 percent and 9.2 percent, respectively, from a year earlier.
As October arrives, autumn colors are spreading across Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in central China's Hunan Province. Tourists of different nationalities can be seen pausing for photos, listening to guides explain the area's unusual landscape, or watching local Tujia ethnic performances.
"Zhangjiajie is beautiful. We walked through the forest, felt close to nature, and it was very relaxing," said Noah, a tourist from Germany. He said he was especially impressed by the Tujia intangible cultural heritage performances and that the warmth of the local people made the visit truly memorable.
POLICY TAILWINDS, SMARTER SPENDING
Strong storefront demand and supportive policies are boosting consumption momentum. In the first six days of the National Day holiday, foot traffic and revenue at 78 major shopping streets and commercial districts monitored by the Ministry of Commerce rose 2.5 percent and 4.7 percent year on year, respectively.
Notably, the government's consumer goods trade-in program drove 33.48 billion yuan (about 4.97 billion U.S. dollars) in sales over the same period, benefiting 6.39 million consumers.
"During the holiday, we bought a new refrigerator. The subsidy saved us more than 1,000 yuan," said a Tianjin resident surnamed Wang.
The National Development and Reform Commission said before the holiday that it, together with the Ministry of Finance, had allocated the fourth and final batch of 62.5 billion yuan in ultra-long special treasury bonds for consumer goods trade-in programs, bringing this year's total to 250 billion yuan.
Data from the Ministry of Commerce showed that from Oct. 1 to 6, sales of embodied AI robots on key platforms surged 130 percent year on year, while sales of smart glasses doubled.
In Huaqiangbei, a sprawling electronics marketplace in south China's tech hub Shenzhen, new robots, AI translators and other tech gadgets have become popular purchases among foreign tourists.
"The number of overseas visitors has clearly increased. Most of them are buying tech products. Many come empty-handed and leave with full suitcases," said a local shop owner.
More international travelers are flocking to China to experience the country firsthand, riding a rising wave of global fascination with everything from the scenery and culture to its lifestyles and, more recently, Chinese brands and design.
From "China Travel" to "China Haul," the trend not only shows how Chinese manufacturing and innovation are winning over global visitors, but also confirms the potential and resilience of China's vast domestic market, supported by visa-free entry, expanded duty-free shopping and improved tax refund services for international visitors, said Zou Yunhan, a researcher with the State Information Center. ■
