After the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day double holiday concluded, major travel platforms released their tourism consumption reports.

Data shows that many travelers chose to piece together a 13-day ultra-long vacation, driving overall travel demand growth during the combined Mid-Autumn and National Day period.

Lower per-trip spending, but more visitors and longer stays

Data from Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM) shows that due to the extended holiday, the single-day peak for domestic travel actually declined.

From the Mid-Autumn holiday through the National Day holiday, the peak daily order volume for domestic travel was approximately 1.75 times the daily average, lower than 2.0 times in 2024 and 2.4 times in 2025.

Industry analysts suggest the reason peaks flattened out is that the holiday was longer and choices were more varied. Some people set off right at Mid-Autumn, while others departed mid-holiday, spreading out departure times.

For tourists, the benefit is fewer instances of overwhelming queues and congestion. For scenic spots, transportation, and hotels, reception pressure became more manageable, and service quality was better guaranteed.

Data shows that this year's National Day holiday travel demand extended from just a few days around National Day to a full two weeks spanning from Mid-Autumn to National Day.

During the Mid-Autumn holiday and the days between the two holidays, the average per-room-night price at hotels and the average per-ticket price for transportation were respectively more than 30% and nearly 20% lower than during the National Day period.

This means per-trip spending was lower, allowing travelers to save money. At the same time, scenic areas and hotels had customers across more days, with overall higher visitor volumes and longer stays, resulting in more stable revenues.

Data shows that during this year's double holiday period, long trips of 8 days or more nearly doubled compared to the same period in previous years, with the proportion among outbound vacation travelers rising from about 29% to about 42%.

Domestic vacation travelers stayed an average of about 3.9 days, with trips of 4 days or more exceeding 60% for the first time since 2024.

The ultra-long holiday allowed travelers to take leisurely self-driving loops through Xinjiang or visit two or three extra countries in Europe, without having to compress their itinerary into a rushed schedule.

The longer the trip, the more need for someone to help arrange it. Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM)'s domestic private car tour orders grew nearly 80% year-on-year, while customized group tours grew over 50%, with private car tour orders in Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Gansu all growing more than 1.5 times.

Tourists are more willing to entrust routes and vehicles to professional drivers and customization specialists, which has also created new employment opportunities in western destinations.

County-level tourism booms as small and mid-sized cities capture long holiday dividends

Another reason for lower per-trip spending is that travelers were more dispersed in their destination choices. Many tourists chose to visit third- and fourth-tier cities and some more niche destinations to avoid peak crowds.

Data from platforms including Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM) and Fliggy shows that while major cities like Shanghai and Beijing still topped the overall popular destination rankings, county-level tourism data was exceptionally strong.

Data released by Qunar shows that during the National Day period, hotel booking popularity in county towns rose 35% year-on-year, with tourist footprints covering over a thousand county towns nationwide.

Among county-level travelers, more than half visited two or more small cities consecutively, with an average stay of 5 days.

Notably, this year's National Day holiday top ten popular scenic spots nationwide were dominated by small-town attractions. Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, Wuyuan Huangling in Jiangxi, and Shapotou in Zhongwei, Ningxia all made the list.

Data from Tongcheng shows that counties such as Lingchuan, Xiuwu, Taibai, and Qilian, which were previously less well-known, have become tourism dark horses.

For example, the South Taihang red leaves and cliff-side road self-driving in Lingchuan County, the autumn foliage and cultural journey at Yuntai Mountain in Xiuwu County, and the sea of clouds viewpoint on the Taiyang Highway in Taibai County are all popular choices for autumn self-driving trips.

Qilian County's unique scenery featuring snow-capped mountains, Danxia landforms, and grasslands in one frame became the county-level breakout hit of this long holiday, with visitor numbers at one point exceeding the county's total population, making local guesthouses and hotels extremely hard to book.

On the Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM) platform, the proportion of scenic spot orders from eastern travelers going to third-tier and below cities rose from about 20% in 2024 to about 47%.

Scenic spot orders from eastern travelers crossing provinces to Tangshan, Zhongwei, Tai'an, Jingdezhen, Datong, and Shangrao all grew more than 100%.

About two-thirds of scenic spot orders in Tibet and Xinjiang came from travelers from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu.

High-spending visitors from major cities arriving in small and mid-sized cities not only spend more on accommodation, but also stay an extra night, book an extra car, and visit an extra scenic spot, leaving a complete in-depth itinerary locally and bringing more long holiday consumption dividends to small and mid-sized cities.

Inbound tourism sees more European travelers, post-holiday off-peak travel gains popularity

During the double holiday, inbound tourism continued to perform impressively. Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM) platform data shows that among double holiday inbound tourism orders, the proportion from European source markets rose to over 20%, achieving a double-digit increase compared to last year.

Among inbound scenic spot booking orders, the proportion of cultural scenic spots rose from about 32% in 2024 to about 43%.

Among the top six inbound scenic spots for travelers from the UK, France, Spain, and Italy, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Mutianyu Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and the Temple of Heaven all made the list.

During the long holiday, the proportion of tickets and experience-based entertainment in inbound orders rose to about 14%, doubling compared to the same period last year and also higher than on regular days this year.

Foreign tourists' spending is extending from flights and hotels to scenic spots, performances, and day tours, bringing tangible revenue to destinations.

Additionally, foreign tourists are also heading to small cities and border areas. Zhangjiajie's inbound orders grew about 1.5 times, making it the only fifth-tier city in the top ten inbound destinations, with inbound ticket order volume ranking third nationwide; Heihe's inbound orders grew about 1.3 times, with over 90% coming from Russia; Yanbian also grew nearly 3 times.

It is worth noting that unlike domestic tourism where holiday popularity is clearly higher than on regular days, during the National Day period, total inbound tourism orders were lower than on regular days.

Data shows that this year's National Day holiday, Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM)'s average daily inbound orders were about 30% of pre-holiday regular days, while domestic tourism was about 1.2 times.

This is because foreign tourists also choose off-peak travel — after National Day ended, Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM)'s inbound orders recovered day by day, with the average daily volume in the week after the holiday reaching about 1.4 times that during the National Day period.

Among them, travelers from neighboring countries such as Thailand and Singapore, who understand China's holiday patterns, especially prefer post-holiday travel.