A 13-day window, created by bridging the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays from 25 September to 7 October, has reshaped where Chinese travellers are heading this Golden Week.
International flight bookings were up 22.5% as of 24 September, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
Japan’s out and South Korea leads
It’s no surprise that Japan as a destination has fallen out of favour for Chinese travellers, following the diplomatic spat between the two countries.
Japan, which topped Tuniu's list for the same holiday in 2025, has dropped out of its top 10 this year. Tongcheng's top 10 also had no Japanese city. The drop follows Beijing's November 2025 advisory against travel to Japan. Japan National Tourism Organization figures show Chinese arrivals fell 56.4% in the first half of 2026 and 59% in August.
Meanwhile, South Korea is the one destination that ranks near the top on every list. Trip.com Group named Seoul the top Golden Week destination globally, with flight bookings up 91% year on year. On the same platform, Busan, Cheongju and Daegu also posted triple-digit growth, and Jeju made the top 10.
Southeast Asia holds the shorthaul market
CAAC said flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos rose about 20%. The Tourism Authority of Thailand forecasts 250,000 Chinese arrivals, up 24%. Singapore jumped from seventh to second in Dragon Trail's traveller survey, and in Malaysia, hotels in Penang and Sabah were expected to fill beyond 80%.
Booking platforms point the same way. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were among the most popular short-haul destinations on Qunar, a Trip.com Group subsidiary, alongside Seoul and Hong Kong. Trip.com's own data showed flight bookings up 78% for Phuket and 111% for Cebu, with Bali in its top 10.
Longhaul gains ground
With more days to play with during the 2026 Golden Week, Chinese travellers are going further. Shanghai-based agency Spring Tour said packages to Spain and Portugal, the Balkans, Northern Europe, Greece and New Zealand sold out by mid-August.
Qunar reported bookings of travel products for Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand up more than 40%. Bookings to Brazil, Portugal and Chile doubled, and Cape Town flight bookings grew 4.3 times. Younger travellers are driving much of the shift. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, Trip.com flight bookings rose 314% to Queenstown and 276% to Auckland.
Many of these trips cover several countries. Multi-country tours on Tongcheng, in which Trip.com Group holds a roughly 20% stake, averaged 2.8 countries per trip, and Trip.com reported multi-destination bookings up 84%.