Despite a softening economy, the online travel agency giant Trip.com Group reported that the daily order volume for both inbound and outbound travel during the October Golden Week exceeded that of 2019, reaching an all-time high.
This information was disclosed in the recently released “2024 National Day Travel Consumption Report,” authored by Trip.com Group.
The company notes that this year’s October Golden Week, combined with the recovery of the tourism market and the restoration of flight and hotel availability, significantly boosted travelers’ willingness to travel, driving sustained growth in tourism consumption.
According to Trip.com data, the National Day holiday offers better value for tourism compared to other holidays, such as Labor Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. In terms of outbound travel, the top destinations included Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
Additionally, the travel platform notes that Brazil, the Philippines, Mexico, the UK, and the UAE emerged as the fastest-growing outbound destinations. These locations attracted a significant number of Chinese tourists, becoming a new driving force for the global tourism industry.
The report also highlighted that international flight volumes from China to destinations like Singapore and Malaysia have fully recovered and surpassed levels seen in the same period of 2019. With the increase in supply, prices for short-haul outbound routes have returned to rational levels.
Data indicate that during the Golden Week period, flight prices for short-haul routes to Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia are now comparable to those in 2019, making it easier for families to travel.
The proportion of family travel during this holiday increased from 34 percent to 37 percent, with the average spending on family trips exceeding twice that of overall spending, further driving tourism consumption in these destinations.
In terms of booking trends, Trip.com data revealed that the average advance booking time for travelers during the National Day holiday decreased from 6.8 days in 2023 to 6 days in 2024. Nearly 30 percent of travelers chose to depart on the same day or just one day in advance, an increase of 6 percentage points compared to the previous year.
This trend suggests that staggered travel is gradually becoming the new norm, with many travelers opting to spread their long holiday travel needs throughout the year to achieve a better cost-performance ratio and a more comfortable travel experience.
According to China’s National Immigration Administration, border inspection agencies handled a total of 13.1 million inbound and outbound travelers, averaging 1.87 million per day, a 25.8 percent increase compared to last year. The peak day for entry and exit occurred on October 5, with 2.035 million crossings.
Among these, 7.589 million were mainland residents (up 33.2 percent from last year), 4.494 million were residents from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (up 13.2 percent), and 1.014 million were foreigners (up 37.2 percent). A total of 574,000 transport vehicles were checked, representing a 32.6 percent increase from last year.
