Chinese Outbound Travel Surges During Golden Week, Longer, Multi-Stop Trips Dominate

Chinese outbound travel experienced significant growth during the 2026 Golden Week holiday period, with 4.44 million mainland departures recorded—a 9.3% increase year-on-year. Leveraging a 13-day travel window from September 25 to October 7, which bridged the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, travelers extended their trips and explored multiple destinations.

The trend towards longer and more complex journeys was evident. The proportion of travelers undertaking trips of eight days or more rose to approximately 42%, up from about 29% in 2024. Bookings for multi-destination trips surged by 84%, with travelers visiting an average of 2.8 countries. Long-haul routes, defined as 8,000km or more, saw a 30% increase in pre-holiday bookings.

Destination preferences shifted notably. South Korea emerged as the top destination choice (20.1% of surveyed travelers), with Seoul flight bookings up 91%. Southeast Asian destinations such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Bali were also popular. Japan's popularity declined significantly compared to the previous year.

Travelers' priorities evolved from sightseeing and shopping towards experiences. Deep, slow travel was the most stated preference (47.3%). Searches for crafts, heritage, and outdoor activities on platforms like Xiaohongshu increased by 48%. This shift was reflected in spending, with bookings for overseas local experiences rising 37% on the first day of the holiday.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a key planning tool, with 61.8% of Chinese travelers using it for itinerary creation, while social media continues to be a primary source of travel inspiration. EternityX advises brands to focus on creating multi-stop experiences and leverage social and AI channels to capture higher-value travelers.