The 8-day "Super Golden Week" combining National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays has officially concluded. Long-distance travel and immersive experiences replaced superficial sightseeing, becoming the most distinctive characteristics of this holiday period.

According to Trip.com Group's "2025 National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival Tourism Report," domestic long-distance tour orders increased by 3 percentage points year-over-year, while outbound long-haul tours also surged rapidly, with multiple European destinations achieving double-digit growth in orders.

Behind these structural changes in bookings lies a profound transformation in Chinese travelers' understanding of travel significance. Trip.com Group's research institute noted that Chinese tourists' consumption choices are increasingly clearly pointing toward the value recognition of "paying for emotions and experiences" - shifting from popular to niche destinations, from sightseeing to immersion, and from planned fixed routes to expressing real-time emotions.

**Rise of "Lazy Tourism": Relaxation Becomes New Luxury**

"Tourism is not about conquering nature, but about reconciling with oneself," said Mr. Wang, who took an elevator for "painless mountain climbing" at Taizhou Shenxianju, expressing the sentiment of many travelers.

During this holiday, abandoning rushed itineraries, rejecting fatigue, and embracing low-energy "lazy tourism" continued to prevail. Whether taking elevators up mountains, slides down mountains, gentle bungee jumping, or simply lounging in hotels, all became "comfort zones" for relaxed travelers.

At scenic areas equipped with convenient facilities such as Taizhou Shenxianju, Mangshan Wuzhi Peak, and Ningbo Xiangshan Lingyan, holiday ticket orders increased by 20% to 100% year-over-year.

Even more travelers adhering to the philosophy of "saving more energy to see more scenery" chose guided car charter tours. Domestic Beijing car charter tour orders increased by 75%, while Sichuan Aba and other scenic destinations saw charter orders double. Outbound car charter tours showed deepening trends, with overall orders growing over 120% year-over-year, including 180% growth in Japan and 300% growth in Sri Lanka.

Traditional "been there, done that" sightseeing is being replaced by experiential activities such as island cycling, intangible cultural heritage experiences, night tour performances, and city mystery check-ins. Tourist expectations for itineraries are no longer limited to attractions themselves, but increasingly focus on content and emotional satisfaction.

**Long-Distance Deep Tours Popular, Nanjing Enters Top 10 Domestic Destinations**

In destination choices, long-distance deep tours became an obvious trend. Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chongqing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, and Hangzhou made the top 10 domestic long-distance tourism destinations.

Urumqi, Hohhot, Lhasa, and other locations saw overall order growth approaching 30%, with increasing numbers of travelers choosing to explore the northwest frontiers and plateau regions, seeking pure natural landscapes and profound cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, a batch of niche cities successfully emerged through their unique charm. Trip.com Group data showed Hubei Enshi car charter tour orders increased threefold, Shanxi Yuncheng car charter orders grew 57%, and Jingdezhen, made more popular by the "Chicken Cutlet Brother," saw overall tourism orders increase nearly 40%. These places became "spiritual massage" destinations for urban dwellers seeking healing through their unique cultural heritage and slow-paced lifestyles.

Jiangsu performed excellently during the holiday period, with overall tourism orders growing 16% year-over-year. Main source markets included Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Hefei, and Wuhan, with popular attractions including Nantong Forest Wildlife Zoo, Yangzhou Slender West Lake, and Changzhou China Dinosaur Park.

**New Travel Rhythms: Staggered Peak Avoidance Becomes Norm, Night Economy Flourishes**

Trip.com Group data showed that segmented staggered travel remained popular this year, with many tourists choosing to depart early from September 25-30 through extended leave arrangements, or starting journeys during or after the holiday period. This rational choice not only enhanced travel experiences but also saved considerable costs for consumers.

During September 25-30, domestic hotel costs in multiple locations could be saved by 20%. On October 3-4, domestic flight single-trip average prices were over 30% cheaper than the previous two days. Post-holiday departures offered even higher cost-effectiveness, with October 9-10 routes such as Shanghai-Chongqing and Xi'an-Hohhot seeing price reductions of over 50% compared to holiday periods.

As of now, October 9-10 staggered tourism orders in multiple locations showed significant growth, with Shijiazhuang, Wuhan, and Xi'an orders increasing by 100%, 68%, and 40% respectively year-over-year.

The vigorous development of the "night economy" represents another direct manifestation of changing tourist travel patterns. During the holiday period, "night tours" saw search popularity increase over 200% on Trip.com Group's platform.

Many out-of-town visitors, after exploring attractions during the day, also experienced cities' distinctive cultural pulse at night. Museums offering evening sessions saw long queues, with venues like Shanghai Pudong Art Museum and Nanjing Museum experiencing nighttime popularity increases of over 5 times year-over-year.

Visual spectacles such as drone firework shows also gained significant popularity, with attractions like Wuxi Zen Town Nianhua Bay and Chongqing Happy Valley seeing popularity increases exceeding 30%. Over 300 large-scale light shows held nationwide further consolidated night tours' position as key elements of destination attractiveness.

**Outbound Tourism Continues Recovery, Inbound Tourism Shows Strong Performance**

For outbound travel, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore became Chinese tourists' top choices due to advantages such as proximity and convenient visa policies. European deep tours were also highly favored, with Trip.com Group data showing outbound orders to Iceland and Norway doubling year-over-year, while Spain, Italy, and Germany saw approximately 70% growth.

The inbound tourism market also performed excellently. As China's visa-free policies for multiple countries continued to release effects, South Korea, the United States, Russia, Japan, and Malaysia became popular source countries for holiday inbound tourism.

Coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, foreign tourists actively embraced and immersed themselves in the unique atmosphere of Chinese traditional festival culture through activities such as handmaking mooncakes, weaving Mid-Autumn palace lanterns, and wearing traditional Hanfu clothing while moon gazing.

Senior researcher at Trip.com Group's research institute commented: "This Super Golden Week reflects tourism consumption's core shift toward 'experience,' where travelers are not limited to 'reaching' destinations but desire to 'integrate.' This transformation in demand from surface to depth represents powerful evidence of China's tourism market's increasing maturity."