This year, more travelers extended the standard five-day Labor Day holiday to eleven days by strategically utilizing additional leave days. Fliggy's data indicates a notable shift in return travel patterns, with peak return dates occurring later than those of the previous year, suggesting a marked increase in average trip duration.

Demand for comfort and customized experiences

Fliggy's data highlights a growing consumer preference for comfort and tailored itineraries, with customized tour bookings soaring over 80% YoY. This trend is particularly notable in established tourism destinations such as Beijing, Tibet, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, and Sichuan, where bookings for related products surged by an average of over 300% compared to last year. Small private group tours (5-10 people) were especially popular. Furthermore, bookings for four- to five-star hotels and luxury hotels through their flagship stores on Fliggy rose by over 20% compared to the same period last year, building on an already high base.

Road trips continue to gain popularity, with domestic car rentals up 35% YoY. Cities like Pu'er (Yunnan), Jinhua (Zhejiang), Datong (Shanxi), Yili (Xinjiang), and Taizhou (Zhejiang) saw an average increase of 100% YoY in car rental bookings. The platform has also seen rising bookings for nature hotspots and destinations within a one- to two-hour drive from megacities.

Megacities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi'an remain top choices. Meanwhile, off-the-beaten-path and long-haul destinations are gaining traction, with bookings for destinations of outstanding natural beauty such as Beitun (Xinjiang), Qamdo (Xizang), Golog (Qinghai), Nujiang (Yunnan), and Tunchang (Hainan) rising by an average of over 100% YoY.

Travelers are increasingly prioritizing diverse and engaging experiences, favoring activities such as island getaways, rainforest trekking, desert camel rides, stargazing camps, and tea-mountain tours. This holiday season also saw notable demand for crowd-avoidance strategies, relaxation-focused vacations, and deep cultural immersion.

Visa-friendly policies boost outbound travel

Driven by the trend of expanding holidays through additional days off, coupled with visa-friendly policies, outbound travel has seen a sharp rise in per capita bookings, signaling a preference for longer, more immersive trips. Outbound bookings for flights, hotels, and cruises surged, with cruise bookings alone up over 60% YoY.

Top outbound destinations include Japan, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the U.S., and France. Emerging destinations such as Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Norway also saw rapid growth, with bookings all up over 170% YoY.