The tourism market is transitioning from the "sightseeing era" to the "experience era," with more tourists rejecting "pre-packaged meal" style travel and pursuing deeper experiences instead. On October 1st, the first day of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the tourism market welcomed a peak travel surge. According to the Ministry of Transport, passenger flow on that day may exceed 340 million trips, breaking historical records.

Tourism platform data shows that on the first day of the holiday, the domestic tourism market demonstrated vibrant vitality, with Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing and other cities becoming popular domestic destinations. Compared to previous years, a significant change in this year's National Day tourism market is that trend-following "check-in" style tourism is gradually receding, with more tourists favoring personalized, in-depth travel experiences and rejecting uniform "pre-packaged meal" style itineraries.

**Market Heat: Travel Volume Hits New Highs, Self-Drive Tours Show Significant Growth**

On the first day of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the tourism market welcomed a peak travel surge. According to the Ministry of Transport, national passenger flow on October 1st is expected to exceed 340 million trips, breaking historical records.

Data from tourism platforms reflects people's eager longing for distant places. According to Trip.com Group Limited data, popular domestic destinations on the first day of the holiday include Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan.

Outbound travel enthusiasm also surged simultaneously, with multiple destinations seeing year-over-year order increases on the first day. Among first-day outbound destinations, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, and the United States ranked highest in popularity.

Self-drive tourism was equally popular. Trip.com Group Limited car rental and self-drive orders increased, with average spending per order growing over 20% year-over-year. Western cities like Urumqi, Xining, and Guiyang saw significant increases in order proportions. The average rental period extended from 3.7 days last year to 4.8 days, reflecting growing demand for long-distance self-drive trips.

Tuniu data shows that first-day holiday user travel volume increased over 100% compared to the previous day (September 30th). Domestic travel heat showed more significant growth, with first-day holiday travel volume increasing over 130% compared to the previous day. Among Tuniu's domestic package travel products, first-day holiday self-drive travel volume increased over three times compared to the previous day, while group tours and independent travel user volumes both increased over 100% compared to the previous day.

**Trend Shift: From "Pre-packaged Meals" to Deep Experiences, Custom Tours Grow Over 40%**

Trip.com Group Limited Research Institute Senior Researcher Shen Jiani believes that driven by the extended holiday factor, this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival dual holiday tourism heat is expected to reach new highs. Meanwhile, tourism consumption is transitioning from "having seen" to "experiencing," from "sightseeing" to "living."

"I prefer to browse local markets, learn to cook authentic dishes, or experience intangible cultural heritage with craftspeople," said tourist Mr. Li, who is about to embark on a customized Yunnan itinerary. He believes that internet-famous attractions, restaurants, and even photo poses that resemble "copy-paste" pre-packaged meal style travel are too uniform, while in-depth tourism allows him to feel a more genuine cultural connection with destinations.

Trip.com Group Limited data confirms this trend. As of now, National Day period custom tour sales have grown over 40% year-over-year. Trip.com Group Limited Research Institute believes this change reflects that tourists are no longer satisfied with superficial touring and more eagerly seek emotional resonance and cultural understanding during their journeys.

**Regional Tourism: Cities at Provincial Borders Favored, Red Tourism Heats Up**

Additionally, cities located at provincial borders that allow "multiple destinations in one trip" are attracting increasing numbers of tourists with their unique geographical appeal. Trip.com Group Limited data shows that Yunnan's Zhaotong saw 70% order growth on the first day of the holiday, Jiangxi's Ganzhou increased 57%, and Hubei's Shiyan grew 43%.

National Day is not only a time for travel but also a moment to remember history. Many tourists choose to visit red tourism scenic spots on National Day. The National Museum of China, Old Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, Yalu River Broken Bridge, and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum have become popular choices, with patriotic sentiments flowing quietly during this holiday.

For inbound tourism, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Kunming, and Xi'an are the most favored popular destinations for overseas tourists on the first day of the holiday.

**Travel Strategy: Off-Peak Travel Offers High Cost-Performance, Consumer Vouchers Help "Lighten the Load"**

While some travelers choose to experience the relaxation and excitement of the first day of the holiday, many tourists instead opt for mid-holiday off-peak travel to enjoy higher cost-performance travel experiences. Trip.com Group Limited data shows that domestic flight one-way average prices on October 3-4 are over 30% cheaper than October 1-2.

For example, direct flights from Beijing to Qingdao on October 4th have a minimum price of 920 yuan (all prices excluding taxes), while the minimum price on October 1st was 2,140 yuan, nearly 60% cheaper. Direct flights from Shanghai to Guangzhou on October 3rd have a minimum price of 339 yuan, while the minimum price on October 1st was 649 yuan, almost half the cost.

Additionally, Trip.com Group Limited has partnered with multiple popular domestic tourism cities to launch consumer vouchers totaling over 50 million yuan during the holiday, providing real monetary benefits to improve travel cost-performance. Whether it's Shenzhen's modern urban charm, Lhasa's scenic beauty, or Hangzhou's cultural heritage, tourism and cultural consumption vouchers from these destinations will help "lighten the load" for travelers, helping more people embark on their journeys with ease.