On September 25, the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival officially began, and the "take 3 days off for 13 days total" extended holiday strategy ignited a surge in Mid-Autumn travel. According to the "2026 Mid-Autumn First-Day Travel Report" released by Qunar, Jiangsu's culture and tourism market got off to a strong start, with Nanjing firmly securing a spot on the national top 10 list for hotel occupancy; Suzhou's Humble Administrator's Garden and Huai'an Journey to the West Theme Park both ranked among the top 10 attractions nationwide by ticket bookings, with Chinese-style cultural experiences proving highly popular among tourists.

The report data shows that among the top 10 cities nationwide for hotel occupancy on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Nanjing ranked second across the country, with a large number of tourists arriving in Jinling to begin trips centered on family visits, autumn sightseeing, and nighttime tours. Under the extended holiday, travelers adopted a more relaxed mindset, with more than 20% choosing to "book only the outbound leg and play it by ear," taking advantage of the holiday to snap up last-minute flight and hotel deals. Unlike previous years' holidays, this year featured a pattern of "peaking on day one with no concentrated return-travel rush." As a core culture and tourism city in the Yangtze River Delta, Nanjing absorbed a large influx of visitors from within the province and from other provinces.

On the national top 10 list for ticket bookings on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiangsu had two attractions included: Huai'an Journey to the West Theme Park ranked eighth, and Suzhou's Humble Administrator's Garden placed ninth. The two attractions represent a guochao-themed amusement park and a classical Jiangnan garden respectively, serving as a microcosm of the growing popularity of "Chinese-style romance." Researcher Yang Han analyzed that as the Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional holiday, tourists tend to favor mountain climbing and moon viewing, Chinese-style nighttime tours, and immersive folk customs experiences. Chinese-themed cultural tourism destinations have seen rising popularity, with some Chinese-style parks even surpassing international IPs in heat. This year, more than 50 universities enjoyed a combined 13-day Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday, unleashing a wave of student travel, with ticket bookings among those aged 13-18 and 19-22 both more than doubling year-on-year. Jiangsu is home to numerous universities, and cities such as Nanjing and Suzhou have also become hubs for student travel, with many young tourists adding the Humble Administrator's Garden and Journey to the West Theme Park to their Mid-Autumn must-visit lists.

In terms of travel trends, "chasing autumn" and "seeking flavors in small towns" have become new fashions this year. Although the hottest autumn-viewing small town in the report is not in Jiangsu, many county-level areas within the province are equally favored by tourists. Visitors can either travel afar to pursue the autumn colors of the north, or stay close to home, strolling through gardens, visiting guochao amusement parks, and savoring the autumn charm of Jiangnan. Industry insiders suggest that with the ample window of the extended holiday, residents and tourists may wish to travel during off-peak times to experience the Mid-Autumn flavor of Jiangsu locally.