In golden autumn October, red flags flutter. During this year's National Day holiday, the public's demand for tourism and family visits was strong, and the total volume of cross-region passenger flows across the country continued to rise.

From October 1 to 7, the total volume of cross-region passenger flows across the country reached 2.142 billion trips, averaging 306 million trips per day, up 0.6% year on year (calculated on the basis of the 8-day daily average of the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, the same below). Among them: railway passenger volume was 151.87 million trips, averaging 21.7 million trips per day, up 12.7% year on year; highway passenger flow reached 1.96182 billion trips, averaging 280.26 million trips per day; waterway passenger volume was 10.93 million trips, averaging 1.56 million trips per day, up 7.1% year on year; civil aviation passenger volume was 16.92 million trips, averaging 2.42 million trips per day, basically flat year on year.

Data from China State Railway Group showed that during the seven-day holiday, multiple indicators of the national railway system hit record highs. On the first day of the National Day holiday, the number of railway passengers sent nationwide reached 25.204 million, setting a record high for single-day passenger volume. During the seven days of the holiday, single-day passenger flow exceeded 20 million on six days. Before this year's National Day holiday, several new high-speed rail lines opened on the same day, adding more than 1,100 kilometers to China's high-speed rail operating mileage. During this National Day holiday, new lines wove new networks, providing travel convenience for passengers along the routes while also stimulating holiday consumption vitality.

China's National Day Golden Week drives global tourism consumption

According to a notice from the National Immigration Administration, during this year's National Day holiday, border inspection authorities nationwide handled a total of 15.462 million entries and exits by Chinese and foreign personnel, averaging 2.209 million per day, up 6.7% from the same period last year. The single-day peak for entry and exit clearance occurred on October 4, reaching 2.397 million. Among them, mainland residents made 4.444 million outbound trips, up 9.3% from the same period last year; foreign nationals made 682,000 inbound trips, and 505,000 inbound trips were made under visa-free policies, up 5.4% and 9.2% respectively from the same period last year. A total of 732,000 transportation vehicles (aircraft, ships, trains, and automobiles) were inspected for entry and exit, up 14.7% from the same period last year.

The continued popularity of Chinese tourists' outbound travel during the holiday has drawn ongoing attention from overseas media. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on the 7th that Australia was one of the popular overseas travel destinations during this year's Chinese National Day Golden Week. As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday were linked to form a longer break, the radius of Chinese tourists' outbound travel further expanded. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, citing data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said that bookings for China-to-Australia flights in October 2026 increased by 19% compared with the same period in 2025. Australian tourism practitioners have also clearly felt the boost from the return of Chinese tourists. The head of a travel agency in Melbourne said that over the past week, bookings from Chinese tourists at the agency increased significantly, and two-day tours to the Great Ocean Road were fully booked. From the perspective of the Australian market, Chinese tourists remain highly important. In 2025, Chinese tourists were Australia's second-largest source market for international visitors, with more than 1.1 million trips to Australia for the year, up 18% year on year.

The popularity of Chinese tourists' outbound travel has also spread to the South Korean market. South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper reported on the 5th that driven by this year's holiday, Chinese tourists' demand for overseas travel increased significantly, and South Korea became one of the most favored overseas destinations for Chinese tourists. During this year's National Day holiday, South Korean department stores, duty-free shops, and convenience stores rolled out payment offers and discount activities targeting Chinese tourists. At the same time, the consumption patterns of Chinese tourists have also changed. South Korean media noted that Chinese tourists are shifting from the previously more concentrated large group tours and high-value shopping toward more dispersed independent travel, experiential tourism, and quality-oriented consumption.