The tourism and travel market demonstrated vigorous vitality at the beginning of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. According to the Ministry of Transport, passenger flow on October 1st is expected to exceed 340 million trips, potentially breaking historical peak records. Data from travel platforms also reflects people's eager anticipation for distant destinations.

According to Trip.com Group Limited data, on the first day of the holiday, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Wuhan emerged as popular domestic tourism destinations. Hubei Province saw overall tourism bookings increase 26% year-over-year on the first day of the holiday, with the top 5 popular attractions being: China Tang City, Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan Wildlife Kingdom, Flower Expo Garden (Zhiyin Flower Moon Night), and Mulan Tianchi.

Wuhan's overall tourism bookings on the first day of the holiday increased 29% year-over-year, with the top 5 popular attractions being: Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan Wildlife Kingdom, Flower Expo Garden (Zhiyin Flower Moon Night), Mulan Tianchi, and Wuhan Garden Expo Park (Wuhan Natural History Museum).

Senior researcher Shen Jiani from Trip.com Group Limited Research Institute believes that driven by the extended holiday factor, this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival tourism enthusiasm is expected to reach new heights. Simultaneously, trend-following "check-in" style tourism is gradually receding, with more tourists favoring personalized and in-depth travel experiences, rejecting monotonous "pre-packaged meal" style itineraries.

"I prefer to visit local markets, learn to cook authentic dishes, or experience intangible cultural heritage with craftsmen," said tourist Mr. Li, who is about to embark on a customized Yunnan itinerary. He noted that internet-famous attractions, restaurants, and even photo poses are like "copy-paste" pre-packaged travel experiences that are too similar, while deep tourism allows him to feel more authentic cultural connections with destinations.

Trip.com Group Limited data confirms this trend, with customized tour sales during the National Day period increasing over 40% year-over-year as of now. Echoing the deep customized tour trend, self-driving travel that doesn't blindly follow trends and keeps control in one's own hands is equally popular - on the first day of the holiday, Trip.com Group Limited car rental and self-driving bookings rose, with average spending per order increasing over 20% year-over-year. Western cities like Urumqi, Xining, and Guiyang saw significantly increased booking proportions.

The average rental period also extended from 3.7 days last year to 4.8 days, reflecting growing demand for long-distance self-driving and people's desire to explore broader horizons at a more leisurely pace.

Trip.com Group Limited Research Institute believes this change reflects tourism consumption evolving from "having seen" to "experiencing," from "sightseeing" to "living." Tourists are no longer satisfied with superficial touring but crave to establish emotional resonance and cultural understanding during their journeys.

Additionally, cities located at provincial borders offering "multi-destination single trips" are attracting increasing numbers of tourists with their unique geographical advantages. Trip.com Group Limited data shows that Yunnan's Zhaotong saw 70% booking 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 season for travel but also a moment to remember history. Many tourists chose to visit red tourism attractions on National Day. The National Museum of China, Yuanmingyuan, Tiananmen Square, Yalu River Broken Bridge, and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum became popular choices, with patriotic sentiment quietly flowing throughout this holiday.

Both inbound and outbound travel during the National Day holiday showed warming trends. Trip.com Group Limited data indicates that on the first day of National Day, among outbound destinations, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Indonesia, and the United States ranked as the most popular. For inbound tourism, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Kunming, and Xi'an were the most favored destinations for overseas tourists on the first day of the holiday.

While some travelers chose to experience the relaxation and excitement of the first holiday day, many tourists opted for off-peak travel during mid-holiday periods to enjoy more cost-effective travel experiences. Trip.com Group Limited data shows that domestic flight one-way average prices on October 3-4 were over 30% cheaper than October 1-2.

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

Furthermore, Trip.com Group Limited partnered with multiple popular domestic tourism cities to launch consumption vouchers totaling over 50 million yuan during the holiday, providing substantial savings to enhance travel cost-effectiveness. Whether it's Shenzhen's modern urban charm, Lhasa's scenic beauty, or Hangzhou's cultural heritage, tourism consumption vouchers for these destinations will help "lighten the load" for travelers, enabling more people to embark on journeys with ease.