When the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are separated by only three working days, a travel window created by taking three days off to get 13 days in a row stretches the traditional Golden Week into a travel cycle spanning two weeks.
The 2026 Government Work Report proposed implementing paid staggered leave for workers and expanding new space for domestic demand growth. Backed by the rollout of this policy, this year's Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday saw the domestic cultural and tourism market break away from the old model of a short, concentrated burst of activity: passenger flow curves flattened out, long-distance in-depth travel gained traction, the center of consumption shifted toward experiences and small and medium-sized cities, and inbound and outbound interaction heated up in both directions. The ultra-long 13-day travel cycle is reshaping how Chinese people approach trips.
Rising totals with flattened peaks were the most visible market changes of this holiday. Data from Ctrip shows that both domestic tourism and inbound tourism orders posted double-digit growth, yet the single-day passenger flow peak fell noticeably. On the peak day of the holiday, domestic travel orders were only 1.75 times the daily average, a clear decline from the previous two years. The travel wave that used to be highly concentrated on the first day of National Day was dispersed across the Mid-Autumn Festival, the leave-bridging period, the official National Day period, and several post-holiday periods, forming multiple gentle waves of passenger flow. Travel characteristics of different groups during this year's Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday.
This phenomenon stems from the diversification of tourists' travel planning, as staggered leave has moved from a policy advocacy to a real option. Some families stay home for reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival and then set off during leave periods to connect both holidays into one long journey; other families with children choose to travel during the official National Day period. Orders for long-distance trips of more than 800 kilometers rose significantly during the leave window, and staggered travel by different groups effectively dissolved the passenger flow spikes. For tourists, this means less crowding and queuing; for scenic spots, transportation, and accommodation industries, reception pressure is more balanced and service quality is better guaranteed. Business operating cycles have been lengthened. Although ticket and accommodation prices during staggered periods are lower than at the National Day peak, customer coverage spans two weeks, and revenue stability improves markedly. This is precisely the concrete manifestation of the Golden Week turning into a Golden Season.
Sufficient consecutive holidays have spurred a boom in long-distance in-depth travel. Ctrip vacation product data shows that orders for itineraries of more than eight days nearly doubled this year, the share of domestic vacations of eight days or more rose from less than 6% in 2024 to more than 10%, and the share of long-haul outbound itineraries climbed from 29% to 42%. The average one-way travel distance for domestic tourists reached 560 kilometers, with Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Guizhou ranking among the fastest-growing domestic destinations. In the outbound market, Europe and New Zealand gained popularity, and tourists bid farewell to whirlwind sightseeing, allowing them to travel through multiple countries at a more relaxed pace. Share of first-day departure orders for domestic travel around the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays from 2024 to 2026.
Long-distance travel has driven the rapid growth of supporting service industries. Domestic chartered car tour orders rose nearly 80% year on year, customized small-group tours grew more than 50%, and demand for chartered cars in Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Gansu was especially strong. Cross-regional long-distance travel has created services such as driver-guides and itinerary customization, boosting local employment in the west. Tourism consumption is no longer limited to tickets and accommodation, extending further into the local service industry chain.
The evolution of consumption structure is a deeper signal of this holiday. Tourism has shifted from check-in sightseeing to immersive experiences, and the preferences of different customer groups are clearly diverging. Family travel remains the market's foundation, with more than half of scenic spot ticket orders coming from family customers. Family travel destinations have shifted from theme parks to mountains and wilderness, zoos, and islands, and the share of natural scenery orders continues to rise. Orders for three-generation family trips stand out in growth; long holidays allow families scattered across different places to reunite, and outdoor study tours and nature observation have become new trends in family travel.
Young people favor cultural destinations even more. Among bookings by tourists aged 20 to 25, cultural scenic spots account for nearly half, with orders for museums and ancient architectural sites rising sharply. Cultural and museum sites such as the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion, and Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage have seen rising popularity. Historic sites are no longer auxiliary stops on a journey but the core goal of the trip. Mid-Autumn night tourism consumption was brisk, intangible cultural heritage search heat continued to rise, and nighttime cultural and tourism consumption kept expanding.
Inbound tourists have also learned to travel during off-peak periods, mostly choosing to visit before or after the holiday. The structure of inbound tourist sources continues to improve, with the share of European tourists rising noticeably. Cultural resources remain the core attraction for travel to China, with cultural scenic spots accounting for 43% of inbound bookings. Inbound consumption has extended from basic spending on flights and hotels to on-the-ground experiences such as tickets, performances, and one-day tours. The trend of two-way exchanges between Chinese and foreign cultural tourism is obvious: Chinese tourists visit ancient civilizations in Europe during long holidays, while European tourists mostly experience Eastern culture before the holiday. The two-way passenger flows are complementary in timing, and tourism has become an important bond for people-to-people cultural exchanges.
During the Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday, Chinese and foreign tourists moved toward each other, and cultural tourism dividends were no longer highly concentrated in first-tier and traditional popular destinations. Small and medium-sized cities are absorbing a large amount of incremental consumption. The share of orders from eastern tourists traveling to third-tier and lower-tier cities rose sharply, with orders to places such as Tangshan, Zhongwei, Datong, Jingdezhen, and Shangrao growing severalfold. These cities are rich in natural and cultural resources, have lighter crowds, suit slow travel needs, and are more likely to retain visitors. High-spending groups stay longer in small and medium-sized cities and are more willing to choose chartered cars and customized tours. Among Ctrip Black Diamond member orders, the share for third-tier and lower-tier cities rose to about 31%. Inbound passenger flows are also moving downward, with places such as Zhangjiajie, Heihe, and Yanbian connecting to the international tourism market through distinctive resources.
Moving from a crowded Golden Week to a more relaxed and balanced Golden Season, the 13-day travel window confirms the leverage that optimizing the leave system has on domestic demand for cultural tourism. As flexible leave mechanisms continue to improve, the cultural and tourism market will achieve steady and sustainable growth, releasing long-term value in expanding domestic demand, promoting regional coordination, and deepening people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries.
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