China’s Mid-Autumn holiday sets record with 60% surge in domestic flight bookings
The 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in China, from September 25-27, saw record travel volumes driven by a “take 3 off, get 13 off” leave strategy linking it to National Day. Domestic flight bookings on the first day rose over 60% year-on-year, night tour bookings doubled, and Chinese-style theme parks like Shangrao’s Gexian Village surpassed international parks in popularity. Popular scenic spots such as Jiuzhaigou sold out tickets for National Day peak dates.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page reads the event directly, while its address stays stable when the title changes.
- Summary covers the current reports
Cross-source coverage
Reporting timeline
Qunar Travel: Mid-Autumn Festival Night Tour Bookings Up 2x Week-on-Week
On September 27, Chinese online travel platform Qunar (去哪儿旅行) released data showing that the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is coming to an end. According to the platform, bookings for 'autumn-chasing routes' increased by 1.8 times week-on-week, while night tour bookings surged by 2 times. The report highlights that 'Chinese-style romance' and 'immersive national-style tours' became the top trends during the holiday, with Chinese-themed amusement parks surpassing international IP parks in popularity.
Read sourceMid-Autumn Holiday Ends; '3+13' Leave Strategy Drives Long-Haul Travel, Some Await Train Tickets
The 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday concluded on September 27, with travel data from platforms like Tongcheng Travel, Qunar, and Tujia showing a trend of 'return home for reunion, then nearby vacation.' The '3+13' leave strategy (taking three days off to connect the holiday with National Day) boosted long-haul domestic and outbound travel. Night tour bookings surged 200% year-on-year, with Shangrao Gexian Village surpassing Shanghai Disney in popularity. Outbound hotel bookings rose 47% year-on-year, with London and Los Angeles appearing in the top 10 for the first time. However, some tourists are still waiting for waitlisted train tickets for the upcoming National Day holiday, as popular scenic spots like Jiuzhaigou and the Forbidden City have already sold out tickets for peak dates. Analysts from Tongcheng Research noted a shift from sightseeing to immersive, experience-based travel.
Read sourceChina's Mid-Autumn Holiday Sees Record Tourism Boosted by '3-Off-13' Leave Strategy
The 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in China, which fell just three working days before the National Day holiday, became the 'hottest on record' due to a 'take 3 off 13' leave strategy allowing extended travel. Multiple online travel platforms reported a 1.8-fold weekly increase in 'autumn-chasing' flight bookings, with long-distance and cross-province travel orders rising 21% compared to the Dragon Boat Festival. Beijing was the top tourist city, hosting 8.783 million visitors and generating 11.54 billion yuan in tourism spending. Local and周边游 accounted for nearly 60% of bookings, with a 'return home for reunion, then nearby vacation' pattern. Experts forecast a 'multi-peak' travel pattern for the combined holidays, with a price dip in early October before a rebound for the return peak. The report highlights trends toward longer travel distances, rational consumption, and diversified travel modes, with cultural experiences and 'county tourism' gaining popularity.
Read sourceShow 8 older updatesHide older updates
Mid-Autumn Holiday Tourism Data Released; National Day Tickets Sold Out at Popular Scenic Spots
As the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday enters its second day and the National Day holiday approaches, popular scenic spots in China are already seeing full ticket bookings. On September 26, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area announced that tickets for October 2, 3, 4, and 5 had reached maximum capacity at 41,000 bookings. Multiple museums across the country were fully booked for the entire Mid-Autumn break, and several scenic areas have implemented visitor limits. Data released by local governments and cultural tourism departments on September 25-26 shows strong tourism activity. Huanggang City reported a 12.15% year-on-year increase in tourist numbers on the first day of the holiday. Hunan Province received 9.04 million visitors on the first day, with 10.67% from other provinces. Sichuan Province's 907 A-level scenic spots received 4.08 million visitors with ticket revenue of 23.74 million yuan. Shandong Province's 200 monitored scenic spots received 2.09 million visitors. Travel platform data from Qunar showed domestic flight bookings on the first day of the Mid-Autumn holiday increased over 60% year-on-year, while Tongcheng Travel reported that local and周边游 bookings accounted for over 60% of the total, with a two-stage travel pattern of returning home for reunion followed by nearby leisure trips.
Autumn tourism boom drives experience economy growth in China's holiday market
Multiple Chinese travel platforms report a surge in autumn-themed tourism during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with data showing significant growth in bookings for scenic leaf-viewing trips, county-level destinations, and experiential activities. Tongcheng Travel data indicates a year-on-year increase of over 50% in bookings for autumn-themed group tours, customized trips, and long-stay accommodation products. Qunar data shows search volume for 'autumn travel' keywords rose approximately 3.1 times, with domestic flight bookings on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival up over 60% year-on-year. The trend is extending to smaller county towns, with top destinations including Jiuzhaigou, Burqin, Wuyuan, and Antu. Hotel bookings in these counties surged over 60% year-on-year. The article notes that autumn tourism is evolving beyond sightseeing to include night tours, food experiences, intangible cultural heritage activities, and light hiking. Tongcheng Research Institute suggests that the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday has increased consumption density in local and surrounding tourism scenarios, and that destinations offering strong cultural attributes, immersive experiences, and complete facilities are performing best. The report is sourced from the Economic Information Daily and published on East Money's business observation channel.
Read sourceMid-Autumn Festival Tourism Data Released; National Day Tickets Sold Out at Hot Spots
As the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday begins and the National Day holiday approaches, popular tourist destinations in China are already seeing full ticket bookings. On September 26, the Jiuzhaigou scenic area announced that tickets for October 2, 3, 4, and 5 had reached maximum capacity at 41,000 per day. Multiple museums across China also reported fully booked tickets for the entire Mid-Autumn Festival period, leading to visitor flow restrictions. Local governments and cultural tourism departments in Huanggang, Qidong, Hunan, Sichuan, and Shandong released preliminary tourism data for the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Huanggang reported a 12.15% year-on-year increase in tourist numbers and a 12.20% rise in tourism revenue. Qidong's Biyin Silver Beach received about 2,000 visitors, while the Qitang City scenic area sold over 20,000 tickets. Hunan's monitored cultural tourism units received 704,900 visitors on the first day. Sichuan's 907 A-level scenic spots hosted 4.0839 million visitors, generating 23.74 million yuan in ticket revenue. Shandong's 200 key scenic spots received 2.093 million visitors, with tourism revenue of 100 million yuan. Travel data from Qunar and Tongcheng showed strong domestic flight bookings and a preference for local and周边游, with a two-stage travel pattern of returning home for reunion followed by nearby trips.
Read sourceChinese Theme Parks Surge in Popularity on First Day of Mid-Autumn Holiday, Data Shows
According to data released by Chinese online travel platform Qunar on September 25, the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday saw high popularity for several Chinese-style theme parks. The Ge Xian Village in Shangrao, Jiangxi, known for its Thousand Lantern Festival and prayer night tours, recorded higher ticket bookings on September 25 than Shanghai Disneyland. Qunar data showed the top 10 scenic spots by national ticket bookings on the first day of the holiday included Ge Xian Village, Shanghai Disneyland, Tangshan He Tou Old Street, Jiuzhaigou in Aba, Universal Beijing Resort, Wuyuan Huangling in Shangrao, Huangshan in Anhui, Huai'an Westward Journey Park, Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden, and Pingxiang Wugong Mountain. The platform reported that searches for keywords like 'Mid-Autumn moon viewing' and 'autumn travel' surged 3.1 times week-on-week. Domestic flight bookings on September 25 increased over 60% year-on-year, and the top cities for hotel check-in orders were Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, and Jinan.
Read sourceChinese theme parks become top Mid-Autumn Festival attractions, Qunar data shows
According to data from Qunar travel platform reported by China New Economy on September 25, search keywords related to 'Mid-Autumn moon viewing' and 'autumn travel' increased 3.1 times week-on-week. Domestic flight bookings on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival rose over 60% year-on-year. A 'north-south swap' travel pattern emerged as northern regions cool, with searches for 'autumn-chasing' flight routes up 170% week-on-week. Destinations like Altay, Xilinhot, Nyingchi, and Dali saw flight bookings double. Meanwhile, southern destinations such as Mangshi, Luzhou, and Qionghai also saw over 100% growth as tourists sought warm weather. Family travelers drove a 2-fold increase on Beijing-Haikou and a 2.7-fold increase on Chengdu-Qingdao routes. Food tourism boosted hotel bookings in small counties like Xiangshan, Yixian, and Hongya. The top 'autumn-viewing small towns' included Jiuzhaigou, Burqin, Wuyuan, and Antu. Notably, Jiangxi's Gexian Village, known for its lantern festival and night tours, surpassed Shanghai Disneyland in ticket bookings on September 25. The top 10 most-booked scenic spots were led by Gexian Village, Shanghai Disneyland, Tangshan Hexi Old Street, and Jiuzhaigou.
Read sourceMid-Autumn Holiday Sees Record Travel as Multiple Crowds Converge in China
The first day of China's extended Mid-Autumn Festival holiday on September 25 saw a surge in travel, described as potentially the 'hottest' Mid-Autumn on record. A 'take 3 off, get 13 off' leave-stacking trend pushed many long-haul National Day holiday travelers to depart early, combining with returning home and short-distance leisure trips. Student travelers were a major group, with over 50 universities granting 13 consecutive days off; Qunar data showed ticket bookings for students aged 13-22 more than doubled year-on-year. Family groups also drove demand, with multi-bedroom homestay bookings accounting for about 40% of the total, according to Tujia. The top 10 cities for hotel check-ins were Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, and Jinan. Shanghai received 2.77 million visitors with a hotel occupancy rate of 52.46%. Tongcheng Research noted that travel was 'localized and quality-oriented,' with consumers preferring to celebrate well in nearby destinations, and that culturally rich, immersive attractions performed best.
Chinese Theme Parks See High Demand on First Day of Mid-Autumn Festival Holiday
According to data released by Chinese online travel platform Qunar on September 25, multiple Chinese-style theme parks experienced high popularity on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. The article, sourced from China News Service's 'Guoshi Zhichetong' and republished by East Money, reports that ticket bookings for attractions like Gexian Village in Shangrao, Jiangxi, known for its lantern festival and night prayer tours, surpassed those of major international competitors including Shanghai Disneyland, Beijing Universal Resort, and Jiuzhaigou. The platform's data showed that searches for keywords such as 'Mid-Autumn moon viewing' and 'autumn travel' increased by 3.1 times week-on-week. Domestic flight bookings on September 25, the first day of the holiday, rose by over 60% year-on-year. The report also noted high booking volumes for other popular destinations like Tangshan Hexi Old Street, Wuyuan Huangling, Huangshan, Huai'an West Paradise, Suzhou Humble Administrator's Garden, and Pingxiang Wugong Mountain.
Read sourceMid-Autumn Festival First-Day Domestic Flight Bookings Up Over 60% Year-on-Year, Qunar Data Shows
According to data from the Qunar travel platform released on September 25, the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday saw domestic flight bookings increase by over 60% year-on-year, making it the busiest Mid-Autumn Festival on record. The surge is attributed to a 'take 3 days off, get 13 days off' leave-stacking trend, which pulled long-haul travelers originally planning for the National Day holiday to start their trips early, combining with those returning home and taking short周边微度假 trips. Searches for keywords like 'Mid-Autumn moon viewing' and 'autumn travel' rose 3.1 times week-on-week. The top 10 cities by hotel occupancy were Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, and Jinan. Combined products such as 'chasing autumn + tasting' and 'moon viewing + food' sold out two weeks in advance. Small-group tour bookings grew 2.2 times year-on-year, with 5-8 day trips for 2-10 people being the most popular, and long-haul destinations like the Northwest Loop, Western Sichuan, and Xinjiang being the hottest. 'Chasing autumn' flight searches rose 170% week-on-week, with bookings to destinations like Altay, Xilinhot, Nyingchi, and Dali doubling year-on-year. Long-distance routes from South and East China saw significant growth, such as Guangzhou to Lanzhou (up 2.1 times) and Hangzhou to Urumqi (up 1.6 times).
Read source