Why Chinese are travelling this week like they’ve never done before

China is experiencing an unprecedented travel boom this week, with millions of people crisscrossing the country during the ongoing National Day holiday — a surge that has set new records.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, on the first day of the eight-day holiday on Wednesday, China’s national railway network recorded 23.13 million trips, an all-time single-day high. This marks an 8% increase from the same period last year.

The travel momentum didn’t slow. Over 19 million railway trips happened on Thursday alone, with the Yangtze River Delta Railway carrying roughly four million passengers, up more than 10% year-on-year, highlighting the scale of movement concentrated in key economic regions.

The extended National Day holiday — also known as the Golden Week — is not just a peak travel period but also a crucial barometer of consumer sentiment and economic health. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will release comprehensive travel and spending data after the holiday concludes on October 8.

According to Xinhua, citing the Ministry of Transport, China is expected to see around 2.36 billion passenger trips nationwide during the holiday period.

That equates to an average of 295 million trips per day, reflecting a 3.2% increase over the same period in 2024, added the report.

In 2024, China’s national rail network recorded 21.45 million trips on October 1, setting a record at the time. For comparison, the figure stood at 17.13 million on the same day in 2019.

This year, the National Day holiday has been extended from the usual one week to eight days, as it coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, giving travellers more time to explore.

On platforms like Xiaohongshu, users have been actively sharing money-saving travel tips, such as taking overnight trains to cut down on hotel costs.

The Golden Week holiday is traditionally one of the busiest periods in China’s travel calendar. Trip.com Group had predicted that 2025 could mark one of the most active travel seasons in recent years.

With the economy showing signs of slowing, authorities are hoping the holiday rush will stimulate domestic spending.

Meanwhile, smaller and less popular cities are gaining attention from budget-conscious Chinese travellers seeking affordable getaways.

“I’m taking my family to a village in Chizhou, Anhui,” Reuters quoted Deng Xin, a 51-year-old Beijing resident, as saying.

“There are mountains and rivers, but no crowds, and the price is far more affordable than hotels in big cities,” Deng added.

With inputs from agencies